FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to ensure that the rights of Hazaras are fully protected during and after the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.

Alistair Burt: The Afghan constitution makes clear provision for the equal rights of all Afghan citizens. We welcome the commitment of the Government of Afghanistan, reiterated at the Tokyo conference in July, to ensure that the human rights of all Afghan people are protected and promoted as enshrined in their constitution. The British Government will continue to press the Afghan Government on the need to ensure the equal rights of all of their citizens and to uphold international human rights obligations.

Burma

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the European Common Position on Burma.

Hugo Swire: The European Common Position on Burma was discussed at ministerial level by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, during the review of the EU sanctions on Burma in April of this year. I also discussed the EU position at the UN Friends of Burma/Myanmar, along with our European partners, in September in New York. Officials from member states regularly discuss the European Common Position on Burma during meetings of the EU's Political and Security Committee, the last such discussion being on 13 November.
	Officials from member states also discussed Burma intensively during negotiations leading to the UN General Assembly 3rd Committee Resolution on human rights in Burma that was adopted by consensus on 26 November.

Colombia

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had on ensuring that the EU requires 
	(1)  an end to impunity for violence against trade unionists in Colombia before any free trade agreement with Colombia is agreed;
	(2)  an end to the stigmatisation of members of opposition political movements before any free trade agreement with Colombia is agreed.

Hugo Swire: The UK pushed hard in negotiations with the EU, Colombia and Peru for a legally binding and robust human rights clause in the text of the EU-Andean Free Trade Agreement. This clause sends an important political message about the importance that the EU attaches to human rights in its relations with third countries. It also provides a locus for us to continue to have a frank dialogue with Colombia on human rights. The road map that Colombia has now produced is a welcome step, and together with the EU delegation, our embassy officials will monitor compliance with these commitments.
	We are concerned about reports of threats and violence against members of opposition political movements. Our embassy in Bogota has raised several cases with the Colombian Government and continues to monitor the situation closely. We welcomed the recent meeting in the Presidential Palace between the Colombian Communist Party and the President as evidence of openness to dialogue with opposition political movements.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking within the UN Security Council to ensure that the UN Force in Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has the necessary resources to fulfil its mandate to protect civilians.

Mark Simmonds: The UK fully supports the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission (MONUSCO), the primary objective of which is to protect civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are discussing in New York how we can ensure MONUSCO has what it needs to continue to protect civilians and to assist in bringing about an end to the immediate crisis as well as bringing long term stability to the region.

Embassies

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made on plans to share embassies and missions with the Government of Canada.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and Canadian Foreign Minister Baird signed a bilateral MOU on 24 September 2012, on “Enhancing Mutual Support on Missions Abroad”. It provides a framework for our missions overseas to co-operate more closely on a number of areas, including co-location, crisis response, security and consular co-operation, and in this way enables us to obtain maximum impact and value for money. It does not provide for the UK and Canada to establish joint embassies and missions. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials will meet later this month with their Canadian counterparts to agree how this closer relationship will work in practice. The Canadian embassy currently occupies space on a temporary basis in the British embassy in Burma; our ambassador in Mali is working out of the Canadian embassy, and our embassy in Haiti, which will be opened in spring 2013, will be co-located within the Canadian mission. We will continue to seek further opportunities to co-locate wherever it is of mutual benefit, following the principles of the memorandum of understanding between our Governments on this issue.

Israel

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value was of UK trade with Israel in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: According to UK Trade and Industry reports, the UK value of trade with Israel is broken down by UK export and imports to Israel by the following figures:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  UK exports UK imports 
			 2007 1,760 1,362 
			 2008 1,855 1,446 
			 2009 1,731 1,394 
			 2010 2,064 1,901 
			 2011 2,511 2,092 
		
	
	The figures for 2012 are not available until 2013.

Middle East

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to persuade the Israeli Government to lift the blockade of Gaza.

Alistair Burt: We welcome the recent ceasefire ending hostilities in Gaza. The priority now is to build on the ceasefire and ensure more open access to and from Gaza for trade as well as humanitarian assistance and an end to weapons smuggling. We support the ongoing negotiations in Egypt and continue to press these points in contacts with the Israeli Government and other international partners.

Pakistan

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterparts on the treatment of Hazaras in Quetta and the surrounding region.

Alistair Burt: Our concerns about the treatment of the Hazara community in Pakistan are expressed in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Annual Human Rights Report and during the Adjournment debate I attended on 1 March 2012. The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, discussed the treatment of religious minorities with Pakistani Ministers during her visit in November. The UK raised the importance of ensuring all minorities groups are able to vote freely in the upcoming elections at Pakistan's Universal Periodic Review at the UN in October 2012.

Palestinians

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the his counterpart in the Palestinian Authority on tackling incitement within the school system and in the Palestinian media.

Alistair Burt: The British Government strongly condemn the use of racist and hateful language. We deplore incitement on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including any comments that could stir up hatred and prejudice in a region that needs a culture of peace and mutual respect.
	We raise instances of incitement with both the Palestinian Authority and Israel whenever we feel this is appropriate. We await the US-funded comprehensive independent investigation into Palestinian and Israeli school textbooks, which is being conducted by a joint Israeli and Palestinian research team. We will be reviewing their findings and recommendations with our US and EU counterparts. Officials from the British Consulate General in Jerusalem have raised concerns with the head of the News Department at Palestine TV who stressed that they have strict instructions from the highest Palestinian authorities to prevent the broadcasting of any material that promotes incitement or hatred.

Palestinians

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to dissuade the Israeli Government from withholding tax and customs revenues from the Palestinian authority.

Alistair Burt: I summoned the Israeli ambassador to the UK to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 3 December, to underline the depth of our concerns about Israel's decision to build 3,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem and the west bank, to unfreeze planning in the area known as E1 and to withhold tax revenue from the Palestinian Authority. We have called on the Israeli Government to reverse these decisions.
	With regard to the decision on withholding of tax revenues, we have also underlined how counterproductive this is given the impact on the Palestinian Authority's ability to function and provide security.

Panama

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with his Panamanian counterpart on the level of protection for indigenous peoples contained within the Panamanian Constitution.

Hugo Swire: We have regular discussions with Panama across a range of issues. During my visit to Panama in November, I signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Panama Deputy Foreign Minister that commits both Governments to annual high level talks and will provide a framework for discussing a range of topics, including, as appropriate, Panama's indigenous population. Our embassy in Panama City will continue to monitor this and other issues in Panama.

Panama

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet with his Panamanian counterpart to discuss the treatment of the Ngöbe-Buglé indigenous group by the Panamanian Government.

Hugo Swire: We have regular discussions with Panama across a range of issues. During my visit to Panama in November, I signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Panama Deputy Foreign Minister that commits both Governments to annual high level talks and will provide a framework for discussing a range of topics, including, as appropriate, indigenous groups in Panama such as the Ngöbe-Buglé. Our embassy in Panama City will continue to monitor this and other issues in Panama.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees in his Department were paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a global network of over 270 diplomatic offices (including embassies, high commissions and consulates). The heads of these diplomatic offices help safeguard Britain's national security and build Britain's prosperity, as well as supporting British citizens overseas. As a result we have a high number of staff in these senior roles which command relatively high salaries.
	Figures for 1 April 2008 are not available due to disproportionate cost.
	On 1 April 2009 there were 48 employees who had a salary greater than £100,000 and 96 who had a salary greater that £80,000.
	On 1 April 2010 there were 46 employees who had a salary greater than £100,000 and 93 who had a salary greater than £80,000.
	On 1 April 2011 there were 34 employees who had a salary greater than £100,000 and 104 who had a salary greater than £80,000.
	For the latest figures I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to him on 21 November 2012, Official Report, column 509W.

Private Military and Security Companies

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government have paid to armed security forces to provide security for British interests overseas in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) over the last five years has spent approximately the following amounts on centrally awarded private security company PSC) contracts:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008 52.5 
			 2009 49.5 
			 2010 41.6 
			 2011 50.4 
			 2012 48.9 
		
	
	These contracts have primarily focused on Afghanistan, Iraq and more recently Libya, Yemen and Somalia. These contracts are also widely used by our Partners Across Government, e.g. DFID etc.
	PSCs are contracted to carry out a variety of important activities and duties including the static protection of premises and the close protection of personnel. They play a vital and necessary protective role in hostile environments, and enable the Government and partner organisations to carry out their work in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya by providing essential security services.

Russia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with members of the Council of Europe on freedom of expression in Russia.

David Lidington: The new Russian laws passed in July which re-criminalise slander and increase regulation on the internet could threaten to further undermine the Russian people's right to legitimate freedom of expression. The Government are committed to supporting freedom of expression and will continue to encourage Russia to uphold its international human rights commitments. We do this by using our membership of international institutions; by lobbying for change on the ground, including by raising individual cases; and by publicly supporting those who seek to exercise their right to freedom of expression. In addition we fund projects in Russia that protect and promote the right to freedom of expression, such as one run by the Russian human rights NGO Agora which focuses on support of the legal security system for the internet.
	The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers' Deputies recently held an exchange of views on freedom of expression as part of a debate on a question from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on “Follow-up to the recent Pussy Riot judgements”.

Russia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Russian Government on the continuing imprisonment of two members of the punk band, Pussy Riot.

David Lidington: We welcome the Moscow City Court decision to suspend the sentence of Yekaterina Samutsevich, but the upholding of two year sentences for Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, which we judge to be wholly disproportionate, remains a concern. We are paying close attention to further developments and are prepared to raise any new concerns with the Russian Government, having already done so repeatedly at ministerial and official level.

Russia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Russian government on its Federal Law on Combating Extremist Activity.

David Lidington: The Government have set out our concerns on this legislation to the Russian authorities. The Venice Commission concluded that the Federal Law on Combating Extremist Activity of the Russian Federation, in particular the broad definition of “extremism”, is open to arbitrary interpretation. We value highly the work of the Venice Commission and consider that it has an important role to play in giving practical help to Governments in making progress on democracy and rule of law. We hope that the Russian Federation will closely study the Commission's opinion and address the issues highlighted in it.

Russia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Venice Commission's Opinion on the Federal Law on Combating Extremist Activity of the Russian Federation.

David Lidington: The Government have set out our concerns on this legislation to the Russian authorities. The Venice Commission concluded that the Federal Law on Combating Extremist Activity of the Russian Federation, in particular the broad definition of “extremism”, is open to arbitrary interpretation. We value highly the work of the Venice Commission and consider that it has an important role to play in giving practical help to governments in making progress on democracy and rule of law. We hope that the Russian Federation will closely study the Commission's Opinion and address the issues highlighted in it.

Tibet

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of China on self-immolations in Tibet.

Hugo Swire: We closely monitor the situation in Tibet. We most recently raised the need for access to the Tibetan region for diplomats, journalists and NGOs with the Chinese authorities on 21 November.
	We will continue to raise our concerns at official level with the Chinese embassy in London and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. We also work closely with like-minded countries to raise our concerns about the self-immolations.

Travel: Insurance

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he and (b) his Department have had with the UK insurance industry about travel insurance policies that (i) do not provide cover where a tourist is the victim of a serious assault and (ii) will not meet the costs associated with dealing with the legal aspects of the case or meet the day-to-day and travel costs of enabling family members to join the victim to provide support while he or she is in hospital.

Mark Simmonds: I have not had discussions with the UK insurance industry about this particular aspect of travel insurance policy. My officials do have regular contact with the industry on a range of issues but have not focused specifically on provision of cover for victims of serious assault as, to date, it has not been apparent from our assistance work that there are systemic problems in this area. However, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does provide detailed public guidance for travellers on how to select suitable travel insurance, including advice on checking conditions and exclusions, and we welcome information from any source that may highlight issues that we can constructively discuss with the insurance industry on behalf of British travellers.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of a 45p per unit minimum price threshold on the quantity of alcohol consumed;
	(2)  what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the relationship between the price per unit of alcohol and the quantity of alcohol consumed in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Browne: The Government have assessed a range of evidence relating to minimum unit pricing and levels of alcohol consumption. This includes research undertaken by the university of Sheffield.
	To support the Government's consultation on minimum unit pricing, an impact assessment has recently been published which assesses the impact of a 45p minimum unit price on consumption levels and social harms.
	The Government will continue to review the evidence of minimum unit pricing during the consultation process and will update the impact assessment accordingly.

Asylum: Sudan

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has made or instructed to be made to prevent the use of torture on Sudanese asylum seekers removed from the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: holding answer 6 December 2012
	There have not been any specific representations made by the UK Border Agency to prevent the use of torture on Sudanese asylum seekers removed from the UK.
	The UK takes its international responsibilities seriously and fully complies with all of its obligations under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
	Before any action to return is taken, an asylum applicant's claim will be fully assessed to establish whether they qualify for international protection and whether it is safe for them to return to their country of origin.
	The UK Border Agency monitors the human rights situation in Sudan, taking into account information from a wide range of recognised and respected sources, including information from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and key agencies involved with Sudan. This enables the Agency to provide guidance to decision makers on the risk on return to Sudan of failed asylum seekers. Up-to-date guidance on the country situation in Sudan for returnees was issued in June 2012.

Asylum: Sudan

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the number of Sudanese asylum seekers removed by the UK Border Agency who have been the victims of torture after their removal from the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: holding answer 6 December 2012
	The UK Border Agency does not monitor individuals who have been returned to their home country. They are, by definition, foreign nationals who have been found as a matter of law not to need the UK's protection. It would be inconsistent with that finding for the UK to assume an ongoing responsibility for them when they return to their own country. An estimate can therefore not be given.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in her Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office commercial objectives require consultancy services to be commissioned in terms of defined output, not in terms of individuals assigned by the firms to deliver that output. Therefore, the Department does not employ individuals under contracts for consultancy services or keep records of how many individuals are working on each consultancy engagement. Carrying out an exercise to obtain these numbers would incur disproportionate cost.

Human Trafficking: Females

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what agreements are in place to ensure effective working between the Scottish police service and police forces in England to identify women who have been trafficked into the UK.

Mark Harper: The Scottish police and police forces in England work collaboratively with a range of organisations to reduce the threat of human trafficking, including: exchanging data and intelligence to support investigations, identifying and supporting victims, targeting traffickers, and sharing best practice.

Human Trafficking: Females

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on the number of women trafficked into the UK from (a) elsewhere in the EU and (b) other countries.

Mark Harper: The Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking, attended by Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, routinely discusses trends in trafficking activity into the UK. The UK approach to tackling human trafficking was also discussed by delegates at the human trafficking summit held in Edinburgh on Anti-Slavery Day, 18 October 2012.

Offences Against Children: Convictions

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK child sex offenders have been (a) investigated, (b) charged and (c) convicted in UK courts for sexual offences against children committed outside the UK since extra-territorial legislation came into force.

Jeremy Browne: Data held centrally in an aggregated format provide information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought, but not all the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify separately from this centrally held information the jurisdiction in which offences have taken place, nor the nationality of each defendant. However, the police and CPS take very seriously their responsibility to protect children both at home and abroad, and work closely together to prosecute robustly cases using section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where appropriate.

Police: Court Orders

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which local agency information on production orders is held.

Damian Green: Information on production orders will be held by each police force that requests an order and by the court at which each request was lodged.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will ask the police to take steps to minimise the amount of time that roads are closed following road traffic accidents; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 6 December 2012
	How the police handle road traffic incidents is an operational matter. It is for the police officer at the scene of the incident to decide what investigation might be appropriate, what road closures are necessary and how long they should last.
	In May 2011, the Association of Chief Police Officers' Review of Investigation and Closure Procedures for Motorway Incidents considered how incidents were being dealt with. The association is now working in partnership with other emergency responders to deliver the recommendations of the review, progressing this as the CLEAR (Collision, Lead, Evaluate, Act and Re-open) initiative. The 10-point CLEAR action plan includes revision of the Road Death Investigation Manual, promotion of joint working and training with a clearer understanding of roles and responsibilities, and the use of laser scanners to reduce investigation time. Early returns on the use of laser scanners, for which the Government provided £3 million funding, indicate an average saving on investigation time of over 40 minutes.

Staff

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in her Department worked at each location in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: Table 1 provides information on how many staff in the Home Department worked at each location in the latest period for which figures are available (31 October 2012).
	
		
			 Number of staff in the Home Office at each location at 31 October 2012 
			 East Midlands 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Belgrave Centre ** ** 
			 Building 16 Main Terminal 55 52.33 
			 East Midlands Airport ** ** 
			 HMP Wolds 8 8 
			 Lincoln Place 6 5.24 
			 Pembroke House 89 81.57 
			 Reporting Centre 17 14.53 
			 Stuart House 7 5.48 
			 Wellington House ** ** 
		
	
	
		
			 East of England 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Sandridge 127 125.17 
			 40 Carriage Drive ** ** 
			 Airport 9 6.58 
			 Alexander House ** ** 
			 Aragon Court 454 403.65 
			 Cambridge Airport Terminal ** ** 
			 Cambridge Science Park 7 7 
			 Custom House 143 138.55 
			 Custom House Viewpoint Road 230 219.1 
			 Franklin Court 51 47.75 
			 Haven House 7 7 
			 HMP The Mount ** ** 
			 Landing Stage Tilbury Docks ** ** 
			 Luton Airport 91 78.56 
			 New Terminal Stansted Airport 26 24.26 
			 NPIA, Wyboston Lakes 5 5 
			 Police Station - Felixstowe 14 14 
			 Rosebury House ** ** 
			 Silvaco Building ** ** 
			 Slade House 16 15.38 
			 Southend Airport ** ** 
			 Southern Lodge ** ** 
			 St Clare House ** ** 
			 St Crispin's House ** ** 
			 Stansted Airport ** ** 
			 Stuart House 27 25.72 
			 Wigney House 14 12.89 
			 Yarlswood 34 30.78 
		
	
	
		
			 London 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 10 Great George Street 74 73.27 
			 2 Marsham Street 3,135 3,062.25 
			 Apollo House 922 853.51 
			 Becket House 578 549.88 
			 Canterbury Court 13 12.89 
			 Churchill Place 36 34.99 
			 Colnbrook Bypass 107 103.66 
			 Globe House 467 441.75 
			 Lunar House 2,138 1,976.02 
			 Metro Point 237 232.38 
			 Steel House ** ** 
			 Whitgift Centre 51 44.57 
			 10-18 Victoria Street ** ** 
		
	
	
		
			 100 Parliament Street ** ** 
			 102 Petty France ** ** 
			 109 Lambeth Road 5 5 
			 165 Fleet Street 92 90.28 
			 30 Millbank ** ** 
			 38 Midhurst Rd 6 6 
			 6 New Square 123 115.41 
			 Abell House ** ** 
			 Allington Towers 10 9.82 
			 Amadeus House 94 89.87 
			 Angel Square Building 92 88.71 
			 Ashley House 13 12.44 
			 Bedford Point 70 66.96 
			 Canterbury House ** ** 
			 City Airport 55 52.73 
			 Clive House ** ** 
			 Communications House 15 14.69 
			 Custom House 8 7.81 
			 Custom House Annexe ** ** 
			 D'Albiac House 721 695.5 
			 Dorset House 21 21 
			 Eaton House 287 274.36 
			 Electric House 287 272 
			 F&CO Abu Dhabi ** ** 
			 F&CO Amsterdam ** ** 
			 F&CO Beijing ** ** 
			 F&CO Dhaka ** ** 
			 F&CO Lagos ** ** 
			 F&CO Manila ** ** 
			 F&CO Mumbai ** ** 
			 F&CO Nuremberg ** ** 
			 F&CO Paris ** ** 
			 F&CO Quito ** ** 
			 F&CO Washington DC ** ** 
			 Feltham Green 38 36.18 
			 Green Park House 34 31.33 
			 Hannibal House ** ** 
			 Hanover House 17 14.94 
			 Heathrow Airport 1,037 975.36 
			 Heliting House ** ** 
			 HMP Wandsworth 6 5.76 
			 Jubilee House ** ** 
			 Morley House ** ** 
			 Mount Pleasant 8 7.69 
			 NPIA, Hendon Data Centre 159 157.43 
			 PO Box 29105 13 9.75 
			 St Annes House 21 19.38 
			 St Pancras International Terminal 40 38.05 
			 Status Park 466 444.4 
			 Waterloo International ** ** 
			 Westminster Wing ** ** 
		
	
	
		
			 North East 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Dobson House Regent Centre ** ** 
			 Eustace House 37 36.24 
			 Harperley Hall ** ** 
			 Link House 81 78.62 
			 Millburngate House 662 582.2 
			 NE Co Durham 7 6.49 
		
	
	
		
			 Newcastle Airport 58 54.68 
			 North Star House 5 5 
			 Northumbria House 47 44.62 
			 Tees Valley Airport 14 13.01 
			 Victoria House 26 24.58 
		
	
	
		
			 North West 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Shannon Court 495 463.36 
			 The Capital 1,495 1,379.02 
			 101 Old Hall Street 412 369.7 
			 4M Building 51 49.24 
			 Blackpool Airport ** ** 
			 Brooklands House 39 38.19 
			 City Square 6 5.24 
			 Comben House 20 19.16 
			 Concorde Offices-PO Box 191 203 191.33 
			 Cumbria Constab ** ** 
			 Cunard Building ** ** 
			 Custom House ** ** 
			 Dallas Court 86 83.43 
			 HMP Risley 7 7 
			 India Buildings 12 11.46 
			 Liverpool Airport 64 62.82 
			 Manchester Airport 286 274.06 
			 Mercury Court ** ** 
			 Queens Dock 10 9.74 
			 Ralli Quays 13 12.78 
			 Reliance House 37 34.89 
			 Seaforth Docks Berth 32 23 22.22 
			 Smedley Hydro 539 473.9 
			 Terminal 1 Manchester Airport 28 27.49 
			 The Plaza 17 14.86 
			 West Point 38 36.08 
			 Westminster House 115 97.23 
		
	
	
		
			 Northern Ireland 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Carne House 15 14.43 
			 City Airport 75 73.86 
			  34 33.15 
			 Hamption House 6 5.18 
			 IPS Belfast 166 150.65 
		
	
	
		
			 Scotland 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Festival Court 235 223.85 
			 2 Thistle Road 8 8 
			 3 Northgate 136 130.39 
			 44 York Place ** ** 
			 Aberdeen Airport 18 16.47 
			 Apex House ** ** 
			 Dungavel 6 5.08 
			 Eagle Building ** ** 
			 Edinburgh Airport-Almond House 78 73.73 
			 Falcon House 43 42.65 
			 Glasgow Airport 67 63.77 
		
	
	
		
			 Inverness Airport ** ** 
			 Northgate 32 27.56 
			 PO Box 6779 7 7 
			 Portcullis House ** ** 
			 Prestwick Airport 19 15.92 
			 Rosyth Airport ** ** 
			 Ruby House 18 18 
			 Terminal Build, Port of Rosyth ** ** 
		
	
	
		
			 South East 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 National Police Training 42 40.86 
			 Ashdown House 84 79.65 
			 Anchorage House ** ** 
			 Astd General Off No1 Cont Bild 8 8 
			 Atlantic House 186 174.07 
			 Belgrave House 5 ** 
			 Bouverie House 8 6.98 
			 Bridge House ** ** 
			 Brunswick House ** ** 
			 Campsfield House 6 6 
			 Car Hall No1 Control Building 173 163.65 
			 Cedars ** ** 
			 Cheriton Parc ** ** 
			 Compass House 125 119.13 
			 Concorde House South Terminal 258 249.6 
			 Control Building 6 5.03 
			 Custom House 45 42.67 
			 Customs Office 20 19.57 
			 Dasc Building-East Camber-FSU 19 17.38 
			 Dog Kennels Priory Court 105 97.64 
			 East Control Building 59 57.85 
			 Enterprise House 45 40.95 
			 FASD 251 233.22 
			 Ferry Terminal 11 9.75 
			 Freight Clearance Centre Warden Square 60 56.49 
			 Frontier House 34 32.46 
			 Gatwick Airport 171 159.75 
			 Haslar 8 7.47 
			 Hoverport 10 9 
			 International 116 107.98 
			 Kettering Terrace-Norman House 136 130.46 
			 Kings Reach 11 9.99 
			 Langhurst House 39 36.55 
			 Martello House 689 645.16 
			 Medvale House 6 5.75 
			 Norman House 141 140.93 
			 Not Known ** ** 
			 Passenger Terminal Harwich Port 6 5.15 
			 Platinum House ** ** 
			 PO Box 200 ** ** 
			 Priory Court 173 165.52 
			 Sapphire Plaza ** ** 
			 Stansted Airport 204 184.37 
		
	
	
		
			 The Harbour 24 22.58 
			 Timberham House ** ** 
			 Tinsley House 10 9.58 
			 U41 Building 225 208.86 
			 Warwick House ** ** 
			 White Cliffs 12 11.11 
		
	
	
		
			 South West 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Ballard House-Plymouth Ferry ** ** 
			 Bristol Airport 60 55.5 
			 Conference House 38 36.45 
			 Custom House 6 6 
			 HMP The Verne ** ** 
			 ION Plymouth 15 14 
			 Monarch House ** ** 
			 Off Park Unit 40 36.08 
			 Penhaligon House ** ** 
			 PO Box 1138 5 ** 
			 Poole Harbour ** ** 
			 Portcullis House 5 ** 
			 Rivergate ** ** 
			 Robert Roger House 56 51.31 
			 Spring Gardens House ** ** 
			 West Point 77 72.97 
		
	
	
		
			 Wales 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 General Buildings 180 172.54 
			 Cardiff International Airport 36 35.79 
			 Cathays Park ** ** 
			 Concept House 13 12.39 
			 Custom House The Dockyard 14 14 
			 Heol Pentrefelin 8 7.81 
			 North Wales Enforcement Unit 7 7 
			 Olympia House 170 153.46 
			 Passenger Term 16 15.68 
			 Phoenix House ** ** 
			 Platform 1 13 13 
			 Poplar House ** ** 
			 Portcullis House ** ** 
			 Welsh Assembly Government ** ** 
			 Windsor Place ** ** 
		
	
	
		
			 West Midlands 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Chadwick House 135 126.37 
			 Coventry Hub Siskin Parkway West 84 79.69 
			 Sandford House 186 175.68 
			 Admin Block Cargo Centre 15 14.8 
			 Alpha Tower ** ** 
			 Bartleet House ** ** 
			 Bennett House ** ** 
		
	
	
		
			 Birmingham Airport Pax 15 15 
			 Birmingham International Airport 90 85.28 
			 Calthorpe House ** ** 
			 Coventry Airport ** ** 
			 Diamond House ** ** 
			 Dog Unit Eurohub ** ** 
			 Dominion Court 51 46.61 
			 Eurohub 30 28.72 
			 HMP Hewell ** ** 
			 Kensington House 11 8.69 
			 National Police Improvement 8 7.62 
			 PO Box 31 6 5.49 
			 Sapphire East ** ** 
			 St Philips Place 5 ** 
			 Stoke Bennett House 37 34.7 
			 Two Broadway ** ** 
			 Unit 6240 Bishops Court ** ** 
			 Vienna House 53 51.37 
			 Westgate House ** ** 
		
	
	
		
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Milton House 47 46.76 
			 Snig Hall 6 5.81 
			 Waterside House 72 69.01 
			 Vulcan House 1,336 1,201.65 
			 Aspect Court ** ** 
			 Concept House ** ** 
			 Custom House 184 177.38 
			 Estuary Business Park Unit 27 24.86 
			 Exchange Brewery ** ** 
			 Foundry House 7 6.97 
			 Francis Street 9 8.29 
			 Humberside Airport ** ** 
			 Leeds Bradford Airport 27 25.81 
			 Lindholme ** ** 
			 Moorfield Business Park 5 5 
			 Moorfoot 21 17.81 
			 NPIA 6 6 
			 Park Place 6 ** 
			 Peter Bennett House 12 10.8 
			 Robin Hood Airport 30 29.59 
			 Rougier House ** ** 
			 Sheffield Airport ** ** 
			 Springfield House 48 46.69 
			 The Hawkhills ** ** 
			 Unit 2 5 5 
			 Unit J The Point ** ** 
			 Waterside Court 323 310.02 
		
	
	
		
			 Non-UK 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Coquelles 20 19.18 
			 Gare Du Nord 44 43.79 
			 Petite Dena Building 12 12 
			 Port De Calais 31 30.33 
			 Station Midi 31 31 
		
	
	
		
			 Not known 
			 Building Total headcount Total headcount FTE 
			 Not known 128 124.01 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided has been extracted from Data View, the Department's single source of monthly HR data which is Office for National Statistics compliant. 2. Information for each building is provided by using unique post codes in line with Office for National Statistics Business Register Surveys. The number of employees in each building is provided as “paid civil servants” at the end of October 2012, in line with reporting standards. Figures are “headcount”—ie each employee counts as “1” and “headcount FTE” (where part-time employees are expressed as a proportion of their full-time equivalent (FTE) colleagues to two decimal places). “Headcount FTE” is used as the unit for official headcount reporting of Home Office information except when reporting estate information. Both figures are provided for complete transparency with other publications. 3. Note that where the staff figure is five or below, the exact figure has not been provided as to do so may reveal the identity of an individual. It is the general policy of the Home Office not to disclose, to a third party, personal information about another person. This is because the Home Office has obligations under the Data Protection Act and in law generally to protect this information. It has been concluded that some of the information requested is exempt under section 40(2) by virtue of the condition at section 40(3)(a)(i) of that Act, because disclosure would breach the Data Protection principles. Section 40(2) is an absolute exemption that does not require any consideration of the public interest test. Where an individual category is “less than 5” the information has been redacted to “**”. Where one area is subject to redaction, any totals are also redacted. Where more than one area is subject to redaction, totals are not redacted. This is in line with the Statistics Authority Code of Practice. 4. At any given time individual employees can be moving post within the Department; those employees who have not updated the HR system with their new location are reported as “Not Known” and are included here for completeness. 5. Figures include both UK and non-UK Home Office paid civil servants, but exclude those employees held on FCO systems and any locally engaged staff employed overseas. Source: Data View

PRIME MINISTER

Military Medals Review

David Burrowes: To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to announce the outcome of Sir John Holmes review on military medals with regard to (a) the arctic convoys, (b) other previous campaigns and (c) future Government policy on military medals;

David Cameron: Sir John Holmes' interim review of the rules and principles governing the award of military medals was published on 17 July 2012. The next stage of Sir John's work has been completed and is being reviewed. An announcement on the outcome will be made in the near future.

Press Conferences

Michael Dugher: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many monthly press conferences he has held at Number 10 Downing street since May 2010; and on which dates they took place;
	(2)  at which press conferences he has taken more than three questions from journalists since May 2010.

David Cameron: Details of my press conferences are available on the Downing street website.

Senior Civil Servants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many candidates were put forward for his decision for the post of Permanent Secretary at the Department for Energy and Climate Change after fair and open competition; and if he will seek their agreement to having their names published;
	(2)  on how many occasions he has declined to appoint the preferred candidate for the post of Permanent Secretary at the Department for Energy and Climate Change put forward by the appointment board.

David Cameron: As was the position under previous Administrations, the Prime Minister of the day, as Minister for the Civil Service, approves all Permanent Secretary appointments and all new entrants to Director General posts within the senior civil service in England. It has not been the practice to publish details of internal deliberations.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Cannabis

Graham Jones: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been prosecuted for domestic cannabis farming in each of the last 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold central data recording the number of people prosecuted for offences which involve domestic cannabis farming. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by reviewing individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	Although there is no discrete offence of cannabis farming, charges can be brought under section 6(2) Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (cultivation of cannabis). CPS records do provide a count of the number of these offences (not defendants), in respect of which a prosecution commenced, in the magistrates courts. In each of the last eight years the number of offences was as follows:
	
		
			  Offences 
			 2004-05 903 
			 2005-06 1,078 
			 2006-07 1,164 
			 2007-08 1,451 
			 2008-09 1,488 
			 2009-10 1,737 
			 2010-11 2,305 
			 2011-12 949

Crown Prosecution Service

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were launched by the Crown Prosecution Service in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 in each region of England; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) commenced the following number of prosecutions in England for 2010-11 and 2011-12:
	
		
			 CPS region 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Eastern 58,796 55,289 
			 East Midlands 67,495 62,890 
			 London 164,897 157,994 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire 45,576 39,403 
			 North East 55,780 54,571 
		
	
	
		
			 North West 99,379 91,745 
			 South East 51,892 48,692 
			 South West 50,720 47,935 
			 Thames and Chiltern 54,455 50,418 
			 Wessex 44.813 42,218 
			 West Midlands 81,597 77,082 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 89,179 85,260 
			 Total 864,579 813,497 
		
	
	The CPS does not collect data which constitute official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These data have been drawn from the CPS administrative IT system. These figures include received charged cases, including all cases advised on by the CPS and cases charged by the police, as well as all despecified cases prosecuted by the CPS following either a “Not Guilty” plea or no indication being given. These also include non-criminal proceedings, such as complaints for a bind over and applications for forfeiture proceedings under section 3, Obscene Publications Act. Cases received for the specialised national divisions: Central Fraud Group (CFG), Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division (SC&CTD), Organised Crime Division (OCD) and Welfare, Rural and Health Division, are not included in the figures above.

Fraud

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were launched by the Serious Fraud Office in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) both investigates and prosecutes cases of serious and complex fraud, bribery and corruption. Its cases can take several years to complete.
	The following table shows how many cases were opened for formal investigation, the number of cases in which charges were brought (regardless of the number of individuals charged), and the number of trials started by the SFO in each of the last two years.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 Cases accepted 12 9 
			 Cases in which charges brought 10 6 
			 Trials started 7 9 
		
	
	It should be noted that the number of cases does not necessarily reflect the total number of individuals or issues under investigation.

Plymouth Brethren

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Attorney-General if he will intervene in the matter of the Plymouth Brethren and their appeal to the Charities Tribunal.

Dominic Grieve: I have considered joining as a party to this case and have decided that, at this stage, it is not necessary for me to do so. I will, however, be keeping that position under preview as the case progresses.

Polygamy

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there have been for polygamous marriage in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service maintains no central record of the number of defendants prosecuted for cases of polygamy. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by reviewing individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	CPS records do provide a count of the number of offences (not defendants), charged in England and Wales under section 57 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (bigamy), in respect of which a prosecution commenced in the magistrates courts. In each of the last eight years the number of offences was as follows:
	
		
			  Offences 
			 2004-05 38 
			 2005-06 41 
			 2006-07 26 
			 2007-08 45 
			 2008-09 22 
			 2009-10 29 
			 2010-11 43 
			 2011-12 42

NORTHERN IRELAND

Bill of Rights

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Human Rights Commission on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland met the Chief Commissioner and Director of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on 19 November. A range of issues were discussed relating to human rights in Northern Ireland and the work of the Commission.

Bill of Rights

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with party leaders on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Government would like to see this issue resolved. However, it remains clear that there is currently no consensus among the political parties in Northern Ireland around prospects for a Bill of Rights. The previous Administration also sought to make progress on this issue but was unable to resolve it over a period of 12 years following the Belfast Agreement.
	I intend to discuss the issue further with the political parties. I very much hope that they will work together to identify a mutually acceptable way forward.

ICT: Expenditure

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for her Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Michael Penning: The following amounts have been spent on the Northern Ireland Office website in each of the last two years:
	Year 2010-11
	(a) Nil
	(b) £9,204.25
	(c) £6,885.00
	(d) Nil
	(e) Nil.
	Year 2011-12
	(a) Nil
	(b) £15,000.00
	(c) £6,660.00
	(d) Nil
	(e) Nil.
	The amount allocated for each category of expenditure in year 2012-13 is:
	(a) Nil
	(b) Nil
	(c) £11,275.00
	(d) Nil
	(e) Nil.
	All figures are excluding VAT.

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which recruitment consultants her Department used to select candidates for public appointments within her departmental remit in each year for which figures are available since 2007; and how much was paid in fees to each such company in each year since 2007.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available for the years preceding the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	Since April 2010, my Department has not used the services of any recruitment consultants to select candidates for public appointments.

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many public appointments (a) regulated by and (b) not regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments have been made by her Department since 2007; and in how many such cases the services of recruitment consultants were retained.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available for the years preceding the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	Since April 2010, my Department has made 20 new appointments which were regulated by OCPA and three appointments which did not fall within the remit of OCPA. In cases where the OCPA Code did not formally apply, my Department did, however, apply the spirit of the Code throughout the appointment process.
	The services of recruitment consultants were not retained in relation to any of these appointments.

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when her Department last assessed the (a) utility and (b) value of psychometric testing in its recruitment and selection of candidates for public appointments on advisory boards.

Michael Penning: My Department does not use psychometric testing in the recruitment and selection of candidates for any public appointments.

Public Appointments

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what her Department's policy is on the payment of travel expenses to candidates in respect of their attendance at assessment centres and interviews when pursuing applications for selection to a public appointment.

Michael Penning: Candidates invited for interview in relation to public appointments are reimbursed reasonable travel expenses upon the production of receipts for all costs claimed. Any travel costs which are likely to be in excess of £100 are subject to prior approval by my Department.

Weapons

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will hold discussions with the Chief Constable on steps to ensure that there is no limitation on the number and type of weapons which can be held by licensed firearms dealers who process applications for those entitled to hold personal protection weapons.

Michael Penning: The regulating of registered firearms dealers (RFDs) is carried out by the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice. As this is a devolved matter issues regarding the number and type of weapons which can be held by RFDs should therefore be directed to the Minister of Justice.

SCOTLAND

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not currently have any staff on consultancy contracts nor did it have any 12 months ago.

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: In the period 2010-11, there were no computers, mobile phones, BlackBerrys or other items of IT equipment reported as lost or stolen from the Scotland Office.
	In the period 2011-12, four BlackBerrys were reported as lost or stolen from the Scotland Office. There were no computers, mobile phones or other pieces of IT equipment reported as lost or stolen.

Private Sector: Employment

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many private sector jobs have been created in each sector in Scotland in the last five years.

Michael Moore: The Office for National Statistics publishes data on total workforce jobs (public and private sector) broken down by the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007). The latest quarterly data are available from the Office for National Statistics website, at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/november-2012/table-jobs05.xls

Public Sector: Redundancy

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many public sector jobs have been lost in Scotland in each of the last five years; and in which public sector organisations such jobs have been lost.

Michael Moore: The Scottish Government and the Office for National Statistics publish a quarterly statistical release on public sector employment in Scotland, which includes data on overall public sector employment in Scotland and breakdowns by public sector organisation for the past five years and beyond. The latest figures were published in September 2012.
	The following table provides information on total public sector employment in Scotland:
	
		
			 Public sector employment: Scotland 
			 Headcount 
			  Total public sector employment 
			 Q2 2007 595,600 
			 Q2 2008 595,100 
			 Q2 2009 630,900 
			 Q2 2010 621,700 
			 Q2 2011 596,900 
			 Q2 2012 580,100 
			 Source: Quarterly Public Sector Employment series, Scottish Government, Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	Further breakdowns by public sector organisation in Scotland are available at the Scottish Government website:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/PublicsectorEmployment

Scottish Business Board

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Scottish Business Board last met; who attended its last meeting; what was discussed at its last meeting; and if he will place a copy of the record of the meeting in the Library.

Michael Moore: The Scottish Business Board, which I chair, met on 26 November 2012. The following were also in attendance:
	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
	Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs
	Mr Billy Allan, Group CEO, Asco
	Mr Paul Nelson. Managing Director, Allied Vehicles
	Mr Neil McManus, Vice President and Managing Director, Spirit Aerosystems (Europe)
	Mr Peter Budd, Director, Arup and Partners
	Mr Alasdair Gardner, Regional Managing Director, Corporate Banking, Lloyds Banking Group Scotland
	Mr Peter Gordon, Chair of William Grant and Sons
	Mr Mike Capaldi, Commercialisation Director, Edinburgh BioQuarter
	Mr Paul Durrant, Director of Business Development, University of Abertay Dundee
	Mr Andy Willox, Owner, Goldstar Cleaning Services and Scottish Policy Convenor, Federation of Small Businesses
	Mr Peter Lederer, Chairman, Gleneagles Hotel
	Dr Lesley Sawers, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry
	Mr Tom Vosa, Chief Economist, Clydesdale Bank and Head of Market Economics, Europe, National Australia Bank
	Mr John Mason, Director, Business, Scottish Government
	Mr Alun Evans, Director, Scotland Office
	Officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, HM Treasury and the Scotland Office.
	The agenda for the meeting was as follows:
	1. Economic update (Independent Economist)
	2. Growth Review and Industrial Strategy—Update from Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs
	3. Update on Work of the Board and its Groups
	a. Key areas for action identified by Board and its Groups—feedback from UK and Scottish Governments
	b. Wilson Review of Scottish Exporting and Meeting of Scotland International Group —Update
	c. Connected Scotland and Business Base Scotland Groups—update on work plans
	4. Heseltine Review—Update
	A record of the meeting is currently being prepared and will be placed in the Library once it has been agreed by meeting attendees.

Scottish Business Board

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what criteria his Department uses to select members of the Scottish Business Board.

Michael Moore: The membership of the Scottish Business Board consists almost entirely of senior Scottish businesspeople drawn from active businesses, both large and small, operating in a range of key sectors of the economy. Board members have been selected on the basis of their ability to bring to discussions an outstanding grasp of the strategic and practical issues facing the Scottish economy. Trade associations and business organisations were consulted on the membership of the board.
	Representatives from key UK Government Departments and the Scottish Government are also invited to attend, as are independent economists.
	The board's terms of reference state that membership is for two years initially, with provision for extension to a third year.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) his Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which he is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly; staff join the office on an assignment or secondment/loan agreement from other government bodies, mainly the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice. Since May 2010, three senior civil servants have left the Scotland Office which equates to 75% of the total number of senior civil servants. The only public body for which the Scotland Office is responsible is the Boundary Commission for Scotland. No senior civil servants work in the Boundary Commission for Scotland.

Winter Fuel Payments

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland received cold weather payments in each of the last five years; and what the total expenditure was in each such year.

Michael Moore: The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the administration of cold weather payments. The eligibility criteria have not changed in the last five years. Factors that influence expenditure, which fluctuates annually, include the extent of cold weather as measured at specified weather stations and numbers of people in receipt of specified benefits living at postcodes associated with those weather stations. The estimated number of people receiving cold weather payments in each of the last five years and the estimated expenditure in Scotland between 2007-08 and 2011-12 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Estimated recipients Estimated expenditure (£ million) 
			 2007-08 163,000 3.2 
			 2008-09 410,600 14.8 
			 2009-10 416,800 51.1 
			 2010-11 776,300 93.9 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 49,600 1.8 
			 Notes: 1. The data above are based on the estimated number of benefit units linked to each weather station which are eligible for cold weather payments. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to provide official/national statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/national statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, figures given are estimates not actuals and may be revised later. 2. These figures only include payments made in respect of weather stations whose coverage areas lie entirely within Scotland. There are some weather station areas that cross the border with England; as we do not know which country these recipients are in, they are excluded from the figures. 3. Cold weather payments are made to benefit units rather than to households or individuals. A benefit unit can be a single person or a couple and can include children. The annual expenditure for cold weather payments is based on the estimated number of eligible benefit units on the 3l October at the start of the relevant year. 4. Since 2008-09, each benefit unit is paid £25 for each seven day period of cold weather. In 2007-08, the rate was £8.50 for each seven day period. 5. Recipients are rounded to the nearest 100 and expenditure is rounded to the nearest £100,000. Source: Department for Work and Pensions

WALES

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Crabb: None.

Housing Benefit

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2012, Official Report, column 357W, on housing benefit, what meetings he has had on housing benefit; who attended such meetings; what was discussed; and what steps he took following each such meeting.

David Jones: The details of my meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and details can be accessed on the Wales Office website at the following link:
	http://www.walesoffice.gov.uk/transparency/meetings-with-external-organisations/
	Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not normally disclosed.

ICT: Theft

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office had no reported losses of computers, BlackBerrys or other pieces of IT equipment in financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12. One mobile phone was reported lost in 2011-12.

ICT: Expenditure

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Stephen Crabb: In 2010-11, the Wales Office had no spend on strategy and planning; design and build; and testing and evaluation on its website. The Department did spend £12,073 on hosting and infrastructure, and £156 on content provision of the website.
	During financial year 2011-12, the Wales Office spent £9,079.20 on hosting and infrastructure of its website. No costs were incurred against the other categories listed.
	For 2012-13, we have an allocation of £10,000 for hosting and infrastructure of the Department's website. The Department has no planned expenditure on the other categories listed.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) his Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which he is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has four senior civil servant posts, with one senior civil servant leaving the Department since May 2010 on permanent transfer to another Government Department.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2012, Official Report, columns 357-8W, on Severn River Crossing: tolls, what meetings he has had on the Severn crossings; who attended such meetings; what was discussed; and what steps he took following each such meeting.

David Jones: The details of my meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and details can be accessed on the Wales Office website at the following link:
	http://www.walesoffice.gov.uk/transparency/meetings-with-external-organisations/
	Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not normally disclosed.

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office participates in the annual Civil Service People Survey, which is co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office under a contract currently held by ORC International. The survey was delivered for the Wales Office by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The Wales Office, as with the MOJ, will be publishing its results on its website at the end of January. A copy of the results will be placed in the Library at that time.
	The cost of delivering the survey for the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Offices is being borne by the MOJ. A generic version of the survey, which referenced “the Office” rather than the named Government Department, saved on the survey's cost. In 2011, the cost of providing this version to staff in the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Offices combined was £4,073 (excluding VAT). As work on the 2012 CSPS is not yet completed, the full costs incurred are not yet known.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Biotechnology

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for increasing support to UK biomedical companies.

David Willetts: On 5 December 2011 the Prime Minister launched the ‘Strategy for UK Life Sciences’. The strategy is an ambitious long-term programme, containing a range of practical measures to improve the environment for large and small health life science companies in the UK, providing support from discovery right through to the commercialisation of medicines, diagnostics and devices.
	On 10 December 2012 the Prime Minister launched the ‘Strategy for UK Life Sciences: One Year On’ update setting out the significant progress that has been made to date towards implementation. Details of the update document can be found on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) website at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/s/12-1346-strategy-for-uk-life-sciences-one-year-on

Biotechnology: Graduates

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of graduates who are employed by biomedical companies.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects data on the destinations of graduates six months after qualifying through their Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey.
	The survey collects details of graduates' employers using a Standard Industrial Classification applied by HESA, but not to the level of detail requested in the question. As an alternative we have provided a breakdown of higher education leavers in occupations closely related to biomedicine, using the Standard Occupational Classification. Figures for the academic years 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 academic years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Higher education graduates employed(1) in biomedical occupations(2) six months after leaving UK higher education institutions: Academic years 2008/09 to 2010/11 
			 Level of study and occupation 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 Undergraduate leavers    
			 Biological Scientists and Biochemists 105 90 115 
			 Biochemists, Medical Scientists 500 430 335 
			 Biologists 80 75 70 
			     
			 Postgraduate leavers    
			 Biological Scientists and Biochemists 160 150 125 
			 Biochemists, Medical Scientists 450 475 465 
			 Biologists 110 110 145 
			     
			 All levels of study    
			 Biological Scientists and Biochemists 265 240 245 
			 Biochemists, Medical Scientists 950 905 800 
			 Biologists 190 190 215 
			 (1) Covers HE leavers employed in full-time, part-time and voluntary work. (2) Occupation is defined using HESA's Standard Occupation Classification (SOCDLHE). Note: Numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey

Business: Scotland

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage banks to lend to small and medium-sized businesses in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow and (c) Scotland.

Michael Fallon: The Government have a range of measures in place to enable and encourage banks to lend to small and medium-sized businesses.
	The Government and the Bank of England have launched the Funding for Lending Scheme that allows banks and building societies to borrow at cheaper rates from the Bank of England for up to four years. This creates a strong incentive for the banks to increase lending to UK businesses by lowering interest rates and increasing access to credit.
	The Government-backed Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme has enabled banks and other finance providers to lend to small and medium-sized businesses that lack adequate collateral or financial track record to secure a normal commercial loan.
	All of these measures are applicable across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Petrol Stations

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the level of cash-flow problems experienced by independent petrol retailers.

John Hayes: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
	Earlier this year DECC commissioned a report from Deloitte on the retail market for road fuels. This with the objective of developing further the evidence base on the size and shape of the market to understand implications of recent trends in the number of petrol filling stations on the security of supply and resilience of the downstream oil sector. This study includes consideration of the key business drivers influencing developments across the sector including cash-flow requirements.
	This report will be published before the end of the year, and the Minister will write to all Members of the House with details of the findings. The report will also be shared with OFT to consider as part of their call for information on the petrol and diesel sector in the UK. The purpose of a call for information is to gather intelligence about the way a market operates in order to get a clear picture of any problems in the market and to determine whether further work in this area may be required. OFT will publish their findings in January 2013.

Higher Education: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on the incidence of anti-Semitism at universities; and if he will make a statement; [R]
	(2)  what recent reports he has received of the targeting by Islamic extremists of Israeli students at universities in (a) London, (b) Essex and (c) elsewhere in England; and if he will make a statement; [R]
	(3)  what steps he is taking to protect Jewish students from expressions of anti-Semitism while at university; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Willetts: The Government abhor any form of racism. Anti-Semitism and intolerance have no place in our society and no place in higher education. Staff and students from all backgrounds, cultures and communities must be welcome in our higher education sector.
	I have received no recent representations about incidences of anti-Semitism at universities in England, or from the Union of Jewish Students, nor reports of incidents of Israeli students attending universities in London, Essex or elsewhere in England, being targeted by Islamic extremists.
	However, if any such incidents occur the Government expect universities to act swiftly to investigate and address them. The Government expect institutions to vigorously tackle intolerance on campus when it arises. Universities themselves hold the responsibility in this area and they have the tools to tackle intolerance.
	The UK has in place one of the strongest legislative frameworks to protect people from harassment and abuse, and specifically racial or religious persecution. This framework provides protection to the Jewish community alongside other ethnic and religious groups. It also provides protection on the grounds of nationality. As independent organisations, higher education institutions are directly accountable for compliance with the law and hold the primary responsibility for ensuring that their staff and students are not subject to threatening or abusive behaviour on campus.
	In addition to legal requirements, institutions have access to a range of practical guidance, developed by organisations such as the Equality Challenge Unit, Universities UK, and the National Union of Students for example, to help them ensure fair treatment of their staff and students, and to help them deal effectively with instances of intolerance, racism and harassment in their institutions. The sector's own guidance gives institutions a practical framework to apply to their own individual circumstances.
	I have met the Union of Jewish Students to discuss anti-Semitism in higher education and assured them that the Government continue to take this issue seriously, and expects universities to use the tools they have to tackle anti-Semitism.
	In my visit to Israel in 2011 I also was very clear that English universities remain welcoming places for students of all nationalities, and Britain is a place where Jewish students can study or research in a peaceful and safe manner.
	We have seen a fall in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in higher education, from 44 in 2010 to 27 in 2011, according the Community Security Trust. However, no incident is acceptable in higher education, or elsewhere.

Higher Education: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UCAS applications have been submitted in (a) London and (b) each London borough for entry to university in 2013-14; how many had been submitted by the same date for entry to university in 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The information is not available centrally. The latest applicant figures for 2013 entry were published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) on 28 November 2012, but these did not include separate figures for London. UCAS is an independent organisation and is unable to provide this information at this time.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions he has met business representatives to discuss the development of corporate natural capital accounting in the UK.

Michael Fallon: None.

Overseas Students: Israel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of Israeli students in universities in England; what subjects such students are studying; what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take in each of the next two years to promote such universities in Israel; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Willetts: The latest available information on Israeli domiciled enrolments at English higher education institutions broken down by subject area is shown in the following table for the academic year 2010/11. Information for the 2011/12 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2013.
	
		
			 Israeli domiciled(1) enrolmentsl(2) by subject of study. English higher education institutions. Academic year 2010/11 
			 Subject area Enrolments 
			 Medicine and dentistry 10 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 25 
			 Biological sciences 40 
			 Veterinary science 0 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 0 
			 Physical sciences 25 
			 Mathematical sciences 5 
			 Computer science 10 
			 Engineering and technology 30 
			 Architecture, building and planning 10 
			 Total STEM 155 
			   
			 Social studies 85 
			 Law 45 
			 Business and administrative studies 85 
			 Mass communications and documentation 15 
			 Languages 15 
			 Historical and philosophical studies 25 
			 Creative arts and design 75 
			 Education 50 
			 Combined 5 
			 Total non-STEM 395 
			   
			 Total 545 
			 (1) Domicile refers to a students permanent or home address prior to entry of the course. (2) Covers students in all years of study. Notes: 1. Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. 2. Subject information is shown as Full Person Equivalents (FPEs) in the table. FPEs are derived by splitting student instances between the different subjects that make up their course aim. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record. 
		
	
	The Government promote UK education through a range of channels, including the Education UK website, managed by the British Council
	www.educationuk.org/UK/A-UK-education
	Through ministerial engagement with our overseas counterparts the Government are supporting the UK HE sector to develop partnerships between UK and Israel.
	British Council strategy for higher education is to promote bilateral links, in particular in research and does not promote any UK university in particular. British Council have facilitated and supported visits for international officers from a few UK universities to scope potential links and partnerships and seeded links between Nottingham and the Technion, Southampton and Tel Aviv university.

Space Technology

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for increasing support to UK technology companies that specialise in space.

David Willetts: On 9 November 2012, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a substantial increase in the UK subscription to the European Space Agency. This allowed us to negotiate at the recent Council of Ministers an additional £300 million contribution over the next five years, amounting to an average budget of £240 million per year—a 25% increase.
	This represents a significant increase in support available to UK technology companies across a broad range of European Space Agency technology programmes.
	Within the UK, the UK Space Agency's National Space Technology Programme provides support for businesses to develop innovative space technology and the new Space Applications Catapult Centre at Harwell will support the development of downstream applications of space data.

Students: Loans

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2012, Official Report, column 317W, on students: loans, how many EU students who became liable to repay loans in April 2010 are currently making repayments.

David Willetts: holding answer 6 December 2012
	6,100 EU students reached their statutory repayment date in April 2010, and are due to make repayments if their income exceeds the repayment threshold. During 2011/12, 900 of those borrowers made student loan repayments, of which 700 made repayments through the UK tax system and 200 from overseas. The majority were not requested to make repayments because their income was below the threshold.
	The latest repayment information is available at:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/statistics/official-statistics-(slc)

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much direct funding his Department provided to each voluntary and community organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much such funding he expects to provide in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not separately identify payments to voluntary and community organisations. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which recipients of universal credit will be eligible for fee remission on courses at further education colleges.

Matthew Hancock: Fee remission for further education courses will be available to adults in receipt of universal credit (UC) who are unemployed and who are mandated to skills training by their Jobcentre adviser. In addition adults on wider benefits, including those on UC who are unemployed but not mandated to skills training, who want to enter employment and need skills training to do so, will also be eligible.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault have been made against members of the service police in each year 2000; how many such allegations have been directed for prosecution; what the outcome was of those prosecutions; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The following tables contain the available information on rape and sexual assault allegations against members of the three service police forces as at 23 November 2012.
	
		
			 Royal Navy Police 
			  Rape Sexual assault 
			 2000 n/k n/k 
			 2001 n/k n/k 
			 2002 n/k n/k 
			 2003 n/k n/k 
			 2004 n/k n/k 
			 2005 n/k n/k 
			 2006 n/k n/k 
			 2007 n/k n/k 
			 2008 0 0 
			 2009 0 0 
			 2010 0 0 
			 2011 0 0 
			 2012 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Royal Military Police 
			  Rape Sexual assault 
			 2000 0 3 
			 2001 1 1 
			 2002 4 4 
			 2003 1 1 
			 2004 0 2 
			 2005 2 1 
			 2006 0 0 
			 2007 1 1 
			 2008 0 2 
			 2009 3 1 
			 2010 0 1 
			 2011 1 1 
			 2012 1 0 
		
	
	
		
			 RAF Police 
			  Rape Sexual assault 
			 2000 n/k n/k 
			 2001 n/k n/k 
			 2002 n/k n/k 
			 2003 n/k n/k 
			 2004 n/k n/k 
			 2005 n/k n/k 
		
	
	
		
			 2006 n/k n/k 
			 2007 n/k n/k 
			 2008 n/k n/k 
			 2009 5 1 
			 2010 0 0 
			 2011 0 0 
			 2012 1 1 
			 n/k = Not known 
		
	
	The RAF Police and the Royal Navy Police are unable to provide data for the period before 2009 and October 2008 respectively as it is not held in the format requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the number of allegations referred for prosecution and the outcome of those prosecutions could be provided only at disproportionate cost, before 2009.
	Since 2009, no allegations against members of the Royal Military Police have been directed for prosecution by either the Service Prosecution Authority or the Crown Prosecution Service. Two sexual assault allegations against members of the RAF Police have been directed for prosecution. One was directed by the Service Prosecution Authority and is currently awaiting trial. The other was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service at Crown Court in 2009 and resulted in a not guilty verdict.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many prosecutors 
	(1)  employed by the Service Prosecuting Authority have expertise in handling cases of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  waiting for the Service Prosecuting Authority have attended courses provided by the Crown Prosecution Service relating to the prosecution of rape and sexual assault cases in each of the last six years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) has a prosecutorial team in the UK which is specifically set up to conduct cases involving rape and serious sexual offences. It currently comprises six officers who have had training and have the experience to conduct such cases as they arise. That training will include attendance on the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences course run by the Crown Prosecution Service.
	In addition, the SPA in Germany has three officers who have had similar training and have the experience to conduct such cases.
	The total number of SPA prosecutors who have attended the relevant CPS course are:
	
		
			  Number of officers 
			 2010 4 
			 2011 4 
			 2012 3 
		
	
	The SPA does not hold training records for the previous single Service Prosecuting Authorities.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces sexual harassment surveys have been completed since 2006; and if he will place a copy of each such survey in the Library.

Mark Francois: Since 2006, the Ministry of Defence has conducted two armed forces sexual harassment surveys, one in 2007 and one in 2009. A copy of the results of those surveys, will be placed in the Library of the House.
	In addition, since 2007 the Ministry of Defence has conducted a yearly tri-service armed forces continuous attitude survey. That survey includes a question on discrimination, harassment and bullying. The results of those surveys can be accessed from the Defence Analytical Statistics and Advice website
	www.dasa.mod.uk

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the protocols agreed between the Crown Prosecution Service and the Service Prosecuting Authority with regard to the prosecution of rape and sexual assault cases; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The protocol agreed between the Crown Prosecution Service and the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) is available from the SPA website:
	http://spa.independent.gov.uk
	A copy of the protocol will be placed in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to ensure continuity of case ownership at the Service Prosecuting Authority in relation to cases of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) and its Director are under the jurisdiction of the Attorney-General and operate independently of the Ministry of Defence. Therefore, it is not for the Secretary of State for Defence to direct the SPA on this matter. However, the Director of Service Prosecutions has made it his personal policy to ensure continuity of case ownership where it is within his power to do so.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of (a) sexual assault and (b) rape have been made by (i) males against males, (ii) females against females, (iii) females against males and (iv) males against females in each branch of the armed forces in each year since 2000; how many such allegations have resulted in convictions; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 November 2012, Official Report, column 555W. Data on allegations are not held in the format requested, and this further level of detail cannot therefore be provided.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many former armed forces personnel have contacted (a) military police, (b) a commanding officer and (c) civilian police with historic allegations of (i) rape and (ii) sexual assault in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many former armed forces personnel have contacted (a) military police, (b) a commanding officer and (c) civilian police to present historic allegations of (i) rape and (ii) sexual assault in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Defence does not hold data for the civilian police.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many historic cases of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault are awaiting (i) decision on prosecution and (ii) prosecution by the Service Prosecuting Authority; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many historic cases of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault are awaiting (i) a decision on prosecution and (ii) prosecution by the Service Prosecuting Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 November 2012, Official Report, column 555W.

Armed Forces: Vaccination

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all armed forces personnel will be vaccinated against Helmand fever.

Mark Francois: Helmand fever is a generic name that originates from the Helmand fever study in 2008, where the term was coined by an individual clinician to cover acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses occurring among UK troops in Helmand, Afghanistan. The Helmand fever study showed that the undifferentiated febrile illnesses were caused by a number of different organisms and therefore there is no specific vaccine to prevent Helmand fever.
	One of the causes of undifferentiated febrile illness for which a vaccine is manufactured is Q fever; caused by exposure to the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation does not recommend vaccination against Q fever, even to those within the population who are classed as being at a higher risk of exposure. As a result, no vaccine is licensed for use within the UK.

Danny Nightingale

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal advice he (a) sought and (b) received on the case of Sergeant Danny Nightingale.

Mark Francois: holding answer 26 November 2012
	The Secretary of State has taken all appropriate legal advice in order to ensure that he understands his position as regards decisions taken within the services' justice system. That included seeking advice from the Attorney-General. As is convention, that legal advice will remain confidential.

Joint Forces Command

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what aspects of the Joint Forces Command have achieved initial operating capacity to date; and what remains to be implemented.

Andrew Robathan: Joint Forces Command (JFC) manages, delivers and champions joint capabilities to support the success of military operations. JFC reached initial operating capability on 2 April 2012, and comprises the following organisations:
	Permanent Joint Headquarters
	The Permanent Joint Operating Bases in Gibraltar, Cyprus, British Indian Ocean Territory and South Atlantic Islands
	Joint Force Headquarters
	Joint Force Logistics Component
	Joint Counter-Terrorist Training and Advisory Team
	Directorate of Special Forces
	Defence Academy
	Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre
	Defence Intelligence
	Surgeon General's Headquarters and the Joint Medical Command
	Joint Arms Control Implementation Group
	Defence Centre of Training Support
	Defence Cyber Operations Group.
	Work is ongoing to incorporate additional joint organisations, personnel and responsibilities into JFC's command, financial and governance structures, and full operating capability is expected to be achieved in April 2013 as planned.

Kenya

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) cost and (b) completion date is of the navigational aids required for Laikypia Air Base in Kenya; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 22 November 2012
	Laikipia Air Base is the Kenyan air force main operating base. It is understood that the Kenyan authorities have made separate arrangements for the installation of navigational aids at Laikipia Air Base. The Ministry of Defence is currently in discussion with the Kenyan authorities over the use of the airbase and supporting infrastructure.

Military Police: Training

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Royal Military Police have received specialist training to conduct (a) Level 3 investigations and (b) special investigations; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: Within the Army, the investigation of serious crimes, previously known as Level 3, and special investigations are conducted by members of the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch. Information on the total number of those serving personnel who have received training to undertake this type of investigation is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, there are currently 202 regular Army personnel assigned to the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch, all of whom are qualified to conduct such investigations, through their attendance on the Serious Crime Investigation Course at the Defence College of Policing and Guarding, and its historical equivalents and successful completion of an attachment to the Special Investigation Branch.

Personal Independence Payments

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2012, Official Report, column 501-2W, on personal independence payment, whether claimants of the Armed Forces Independence Payment will have their claims regularly reassessed; and what assessment he has made of the cost and desirability of allowing indefinite awards;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of whether there will be a change in the proportion of claimants required to attend an assessment for the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme following the introduction of the Armed Forces Independence Payment;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of people making a claim for compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to date have been required to attend a face-to-face assessment with a healthcare professional.

Mark Francois: holding answer 3 December 2012
	Personnel eligible for an Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) will not have their AFTP claims reassessed. Those eligible will be provided with an ongoing payment to allow for long-term financial assurance, meeting the Government's commitment to provide support for injured service and ex-service personnel. It is not possible to assess how many recipients of AFIP might have their payments reduced if they were subject to periodic reassessment, and therefore to estimate the financial implications.
	Each case is decided on its individual circumstances. Individuals claiming an Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) award are not routinely required to attend a face-to-face assessment with a health care professional; therefore it is anticipated that there will be no change in the proportion of claimants required to attend an assessment when AFIP is introduced.
	All relevant evidence and information will be gathered together with all relevant factors considered in the assessment of the AFCS claim. Cases are considered by Service Personnel Veterans Agency (SPVA). Where a decision requires medical input, the decision maker can seek advice from in-house SPVA medical advisers.

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the support needed by nuclear test veterans; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he has recently discussed with his ministerial colleagues the long-term monitoring of the health of the offspring of nuclear test veterans.

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 October 2012, Official Report, column 668W.

Vetting

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent discussions and correspondence Ministers and officials in his Department have had with (a) Ministers or officials in other Government Departments, (b) construction companies, (c) trades unions, (d) DIO, Defence Estates and their predecessors and (e) other parties on reports that blacklists were used in relation to (i) Irish nationals and (ii) others in his Department's construction projects;
	(2)  what investigations have been carried out by officials at his Department or its agencies into reports that blacklists were used in relation to (a) Irish nationals and (b) others in his Department's construction projects;
	(3)  if he will investigate reports that blacklists were used in relation to (a) Irish nationals and (b) others in his Department's construction projects.

Mark Francois: holding answer 4 December 2012
	To the best of my knowledge there have been no recent discussions, correspondence or investigations undertaken into reports of blacklisting of Irish nationals or others in Ministry of Defence (MOD) construction projects.
	The MOD does not operate any type of blacklist in relation to its acquisition contracts, as it is illegal to do so. This extends to nationality and any suggestion of discrimination on the basis of nationality. We expect our suppliers to apply the same legal requirements to their supply chain as those which we demand of them, not least those relating to discrimination and equality.

WORK AND PENSIONS

UK Pension Schemes

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the Solvency II Directive on UK pension schemes.

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the Solvency II Directive on UK pension schemes.

Steve Webb: The European Commission's review of the Pensions Directive (Directive 2003/41/EC on Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision) includes adapting the Solvency II Directive funding requirements for occupational pension schemes.
	I commissioned an impact assessment from the independent Pensions Regulator, which I published on the DWP website:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2012/TPR_DM_n2273235_vR_UK_Impact_Assessment_Updated.pdf
	on 20 November 2012. This indicates that the likely outcome would be a cost to UK employers with defined benefit schemes of around £150 billion, and in a worst-case scenario, pension shortfalls could rise by as much as £400 billion.

Jobseeker Assistance

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to help jobseekers travel to find work.

Mark Hoban: Holders of the ‘job centre plus Travel Discount Card’ will, during January 2013, be able to travel for free on almost every local bus service operated by four big bus companies. In addition, Jobcentre Plus advisers can use the Flexible Support Fund to provide help with travel costs, either attending job interviews or for a short time after an individual finds employment. Work programme providers also have the discretion to provide financial help if it is required.

Young People: Employment Support

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to support young people in finding employment.

Mark Hoban: We are committed to providing support to young people to give them the work experience and skills they need to find sustained employment. This includes support offered through Jobcentre Plus, the Work programme, and the Youth Contract—which will provide nearly half a million new opportunities to young unemployed people over the next three years. Later this month we will extend wage incentive eligibility to include all young people who reach six months on benefit.

Access to Work Programme

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely level of overpayment of Access to Work due to (a) fraud and (b) error in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: I am unable to supply any details, as no current estimate has been made, of the level of fraud and error in Access to Work.

Access to Work Programme

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who received Access to Work support had their support taken away due to a fraud on their part in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: I am unable to supply any details, as no separate records are kept of cases where Access to Work support been taken away due to fraud.

Atos Healthcare

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Atos staff conducting work capability assessments in (a) Hampshire, (b) Portsmouth and (c) Southampton are (i) doctors, (ii) nurses and (iii) other regulated health professionals.

Mark Hoban: Atos Healthcare has two assessment centres situated in Hampshire at Portsmouth and Southampton.
	There are a total of five doctors, 10 nurses and one physiotherapist based in Hampshire.
	These are located as follows:
	Three doctors and six nurses in Portsmouth assessment centre and two doctors, four nurses and one physiotherapist in Southampton assessment centre.

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed by Atos Healthcare as part of the Medical Services Agreement in each month since 2010.

Mark Hoban: The total number of Atos Healthcare permanent staff employed on the medical services contract for each month requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010  
			 January 1,290 
			 February 1,304 
			 March 1,291 
			 April 1,311 
			 May 1,331 
			 June 1,353 
			 July 1,346 
			 August 1,363 
			 September 1,382 
			 October 1,398 
			 November 1,420 
			 December 1,413 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 1,445 
			 February 1,448 
			 March 1,447 
			 April 1,469 
			 May 1,483 
			 June 1,496 
			 July 1,510 
			 August 1,496 
			 September 1,527 
			 October 1,520 
			 November 1,551 
			 December 1,539 
			   
			 2012  
			 January 1,590 
			 February 1,635 
			 March 1,663 
			 April 1,691 
			 May 1,710 
			 June 1,704 
			 July 1,712 
			 August 1,721 
			 September 1,724 
			 October 1,732 
			 November 1,731 
		
	
	The total number of Atos permanent employees is made up of administrative, health care professionals (nurses, physiotherapists and doctors) and management staff.

Biocidal Products

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether copper or silver ionisation systems and their consumables and components can continue to be supplied, used and supported in the UK under any UK derogation from the draft biocides directive.

Mark Hoban: Yes they could, but currently there is no such derogation. The UK is currently planning to apply to the European Commission for an essential-use derogation to allow continued supply and use of copper-based water disinfection systems. If granted, supply and use could continue for an interim period while those supplying such systems prepare their case to support their products under the biocides directive (98/8/EC).
	Silver does not require a derogation because it is already being supported by business through the directive's assessment process for safety and efficacy.

Business

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what obligation businesses will have to notify his Department of changes to circumstances for employees;
	(2)  what obligation businesses will have to update online systems for his Department.

Mark Hoban: HM Revenue and Customs is introducing a new system for employers to report information about payments they make to employees and deductions for PAYE purposes. This will be called real time information, or RTI.
	Employers will send information to HM Revenue and Customs as part of the payroll process. Payroll software will collect the information and send it to HM Revenue and Customs online. This will replace the requirement to complete an annual return of PAYE tax and national insurance contributions.
	Moving to a real time reporting system will make operating payroll easier for employers and make the PAYE system easier for HM Revenue and Customs to administer. Over time it will also make PAYE deductions more accurate for individuals.
	This new way of reporting payroll information will also support the operation of universal credit. For universal credit claimants, earnings information will be transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions automatically.
	There will be no requirement for employers to report details of earnings or changes of circumstances to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Child: Maintenance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the non-payment of child support by UK citizens who work and pay tax overseas.

Steve Webb: The Child Support Agency has no legal authority to act when the non-resident parent, the parent with care, or the child lives abroad and is no longer habitually resident in the UK. However we may be able to help in some exceptional circumstances where a non-resident parent is not habitually resident, for example if the non-resident parent:
	is working abroad in the service of the Crown, for example is a civil servant or works within Her Majesty's diplomatic service or within Her Majesty's overseas civil service
	is a member of the armed forces
	works abroad for a UK based company, for example one that employs people to work outside the UK but makes payments via a UK payroll; and the company is registered under the companies act 1985 (England, Wales and Scotland) or the companies (Northern Ireland) order 1986
	works abroad on secondment for a 'prescribed body', for example an NHS trust, regional health authority, primary care trust or local authority.
	Under the 2003 child maintenance scheme, it is not possible for earnings not declarable to HMRC to be taken into account within the maintenance calculation. This is because the person involved, if they had no income declarable to HMRC, would not meet the definition of an earner in child support legislation. A client whose income is gained entirely through undeclarable earnings from abroad will currently be assessed for child support purposes as if they have no income, and therefore will not be asked to pay any maintenance.
	However, the agency would have jurisdiction over any additional income earned and taxed in the UK and any arrears that were built up while the non-resident parent was earning in the UK continue to be enforceable.
	Under the provisions of the Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1972 and accompanying regulations, it is possible to register and enforce a court maintenance order made by a court or other authority in one country, against a person resident in a second country. A maintenance order can be made in the UK and enforced abroad or made in another country and enforced by a UK court against a UK resident. This process is known as Reciprocal Enforcement Maintenance Order (REMO).
	The UK has arrangements with more than 100 countries and territories that allow a person to claim maintenance from overseas. A UK resident who wishes to apply to receive maintenance from a person overseas can approach their local magistrates court. The REMO section of the Official Solicitor and Public Trustee is the authority in England and Wales for transmitting and receiving applications for maintenance enforcement if the absent parent lives abroad.
	More detailed information and advice on how to proceed may be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-the-vulnerable/official-solicitor/

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department last issued guidance on chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mark Hoban: Guidance for decision makers was last issued in March 2011. Guidance for Atos health care professionals was last issued in July 2012.

Council Tax Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average council tax benefit payment to passported and non-passported recipients aged under 65 is in each local authority area.

Steve Webb: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Council Tax Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged under 65 in receipt of non-passported council tax benefit are in employment in each local authority area.

Steve Webb: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Council Tax Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average council tax benefit payment to working non-passported recipients is in each local authority area.

Steve Webb: The requested information has been placed in the Library.

Crohn's Disease

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to raise awareness among Jobcentre Plus staff of the specific needs of jobseekers diagnosed with Crohn's disease and other bowel conditions.

Mark Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions policy is to develop its staff in the skills required to support a range of claimants, to respect their individual needs, including those related to their health conditions. This approach ensures that they are skilled to deal with a diverse set of circumstances, while treating everyone as individuals.
	Staff receive training which covers the wide range of circumstances that our claimants may have, some less obvious than others, and stresses how important it is to look for signs where the claimant does not give us this information directly and to offer appropriate support.
	Jobcentre advisers, in particular, have access to a comprehensive training programme which focuses on raising awareness of the individual's personal circumstances, and also recognises that disabilities and health conditions can affect individuals in different ways. This training also encourages advisers to consider a wide range of capabilities, as in the instance of Crohn’s disease, where a claimant has to manage a disruptive health condition that may have to be controlled before anything else can be achieved.
	Further support for claimants is available from disability employment advisers who receive additional training which has been designed in conjunction with specialist DWP occupational psychologists to enable those advisers to provide effective support to people with particular complex needs.

Disability Living Allowance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the likely effect on pensioners of planned changes to disability living allowance.

Esther McVey: Personal independence payment will begin to replace disability living allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64 from April 2013. Existing recipients of DLA aged 65 or over at the point personal independence payment is introduced will not be affected by the introduction of the new benefit and will continue to receive DLA for as long as they continue to satisfy the entitlement conditions. Recipients of personal independence payment who reach age 65, or pension age if higher, will continue to receive the benefit for as long as they continue to satisfy the entitlement conditions.

Disinfectants

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he estimated the likely cost to hospitals and other care facilities of altering the specification of their water disinfection systems to comply with the ban on the supply of copper as a biocide under the EU Biocides Products Regulations, due to come into force on 1 February 2013, until a UK derogation comes into effect.

Mark Hoban: No estimate of the costs to hospitals and other care facilities has been made pending the outcome of the UK's intended application for an essential use derogation for copper-based water disinfection systems.
	The issue arises because the suppliers of copper-based water disinfection systems did not support their product through the assessment process under the biocidal products directive by providing the necessary data to assess its safety and efficacy. As in all similar cases, the European Commission took a decision confirming that the requirements of the directive have not been met and requiring products containing copper to be withdrawn from the market by 1 February 2013.
	HSE intends to seek an essential use derogation to allow the continued use of copper for legionella control. However, the decision on a derogation and its timing is a matter for the European Commission.

Employment and Support Allowance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the outcomes were for individuals who have been migrated from incapacity benefit and income-related income support to employment and support allowance since February 2011;
	(2)  what recent progress he has made on the migration from incapacity benefit and income-related income support to employment and support allowance.

Mark Hoban: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA), the work capability assessment (WCA) and the reassessment of incapacity benefit claimants. The latest WCA report on incapacity benefit reassessment was published in November 2012 and can be found on the internet at the following link:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_ibr/esa_ibr_nov12.xls

Employment and Support Allowance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken is for his Department's decision makers to issue a decision to employment and support allowance claimants following receipt of advice from Atos Healthcare in the most recent period for which data are available.

Mark Hoban: The average time between the recommendation made by Atos Healthcare and decision reached by the Department's decision maker is three weeks. This refers to all initial decisions made on new employment and support allowance (ESA) claims since the introduction of ESA up to May 2012 (the latest data available).

Housing Benefit

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of housing benefit are living in accommodation with at least (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) five or more unoccupied bedrooms in each local authority.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect on young people of any future reduction in or removal of housing benefit for under-25 year olds.

Steve Webb: Current Government policy does not include withdrawing housing support from people aged under 25.

Hyperactivity

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of jobseeker's allowance have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in (a) Vauxhall and (b) England and Wales since May 2010.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

Hyperactivity

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department last issued guidance on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Mark Hoban: Guidance for decision makers was last issued in September 2012. Guidance for Atos health care professionals was last issued in June 2012.

Hypertension

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department last issued guidance on idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Mark Hoban: Guidance for decision makers was last issued in July 2012.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his announcement that penalties for late filing of PAYE real time information (RTI) data will not be imposed until April 2014, from what date he expects his Department's systems to have reliable PAYE RTI data to enable the calculation of universal credit for people in employment.

Mark Hoban: HMRC is receiving reliable RTI data from the majority of schemes in the pilot and expect this to continue as more schemes migrate to RTI. However, HMRC have been running a consultation exercise on the type of penalty regime needed to underpin RTI. The majority of responses to the consultation suggested that employers would need a year to allow RTI to embed. HMRC have taken this on board and I understand and agree with this.

Pension, Disability and Carers Service

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many visiting officers have been employed by the Pension Service in Scotland in each financial year since 2002.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

Pensions

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider making mandatory new arrangements for money in small pension schemes to be cashed or transferred.

Steve Webb: When people move jobs, it is often the case that their accumulated pension saving remains in their former employers' schemes, while they begin saving afresh in their new employers' schemes. The Government intend to bring forward legislation which will require pension schemes and providers to transfer small dormant pension pots to the new employers' schemes, although the individual members will have the right to opt out of the process if they choose. We believe that this is more administratively efficient and encourages engagement with pension saving.

Personal Independence Payments

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many veterans his Department estimates will see a reduction in their benefit entitlement following the introduction of personal independence payment.

Esther McVey: Currently, the Department only produces an estimate for the impact of the introduction of PIP at a caseload level; it is not possible to estimate the impact on specific groups such as service and ex-service personnel.
	We do however recognise the unique and important role played by the UK armed forces. That is why the Prime Minister has announced (19 July) a simplification of the financial support available for members of the armed forces who have been seriously injured as a result of military service, this means that rather than face separate assessments, eligible individuals will receive AFIP on an on-going basis to help with the additional costs associated with their injuries.

Social Fund

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) Social Fund crisis loan applications and (b) grants to cover funeral costs that were (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful there were in (A) total and (B) London in (1) 2010-11 and (2) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The information is in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table 1: Funeral payment applications and awards in London and Great Britain 
			  2010 2011 
			  Applications Awards Applications Awards 
			 Great Britain 68,800 38,200 68,500 37,700 
			 London 6,800 3,800 6,900 3,900 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Crisis loan applications and awards in London and Great Britain 
			  2010 2011 
			  Applications Awards Applications Awards 
			 Great Britain 3,422,000 2,657,000 2,586,000 2,071,000 
			 London 386,000 289,000 262,000 206,000 
			 Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Figures are for applications received, not for the number of people who made an application, and for initial awards made, not the number of people who received an initial award. (Some people made more than one application or received more than one initial award). 3. If an applicant receives an initial award and this award is increased on first review in the same month as the initial award was made, then the Policy, Budget and Management Information System (PBMIS) does not count the initial award and the review award separately, but counts one award on the one application. However, if a first review award is made in a later month than the initial award, then PBMIS counts two awards on the one application. Similarly, if an initial or first review award is increased by the Independent Review Service, then all awards made in the same month on one application count as one award. However, if an initial award or any review award(s) on one application are made in different months, then PBMIS will count one award for each month in which an initial or review award was made. Because of this counting method, only the numbers of initial awards have been given.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2012, Official Report, column 91W, on social security benefits, if he will publish the studies or research reports he has commissioned or considered on any problems caused in the present social security system by the need to adjust to a monthly frequency of payment for those entering employment.

Mark Hoban: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not commissioned any studies or research reports on the problems caused in the present social security system by the need to adjust to monthly frequency of payment for those entering employment.
	A key aspect of universal credit is that it should mimic work and receipt of a salary. In order to help households understand what money they receive overall and how the work they do affects it, universal credit will be paid monthly. This reflects the fact that 75% of people are paid earnings monthly in arrears. Monthly payment of benefit will also prepare households for the reality of budgeting on a monthly income, will ease the transition into work, and will make it easier for households to take advantage of cheaper tariffs for essential costs such as utility bills.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which local authorities have a backlog due to issues with his Department's ATLAS system.

Mark Hoban: ATLAS is an IT system which automates the transfer to local authorities of DWP benefits and HMRC tax credit new claim, change of circumstances and termination of award data that would otherwise go undetected or be handled clerically. As such it supports local authorities in processing work more efficiently. The latest available statistics for quarter one of 2012/13 show that housing benefit change of circumstances are being processed in an average of 10 days compared to 12 days for the equivalent period in 2011-12.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the role of the Automated Transfers to Local Authority Systems system in implementation of the benefit cap from April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Automated Transfers to Local Authority System will be used to transfer an agreed set of data items that will enable authorities to calculate the amount of the benefit cap.
	Work is at an advanced stage, the formatting of the data has been agreed with the local authority IT providers, this enables the IT providers to accept the data in to the local authority IT systems. The work is on track for delivery and implementation in April 2013.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the current performance of the Automated Transfers to Local Authority Systems; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Full ATLAS functionality was introduced in November 2011 on time and within budget. Since then it has been enhanced following representations made by the local authorities to address a number of minor issues that had been identified.
	From my Department's perspective the ATLAS system is performing as expected. Staff from my Department regularly meet with representatives from authorities and their suppliers to review the performance from a local authority perspective.

Social Security Benefits: Tower Hamlets

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average level of benefits received by people not seeking work is in Tower Hamlets.

Mark Hoban: The information requested for all benefits is not readily available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the information available:
	
		
			 Tower Hamlets 
			  Average weekly amount of benefits 
			 Any non out-of-work benefit 142.58 
			 Notes: 1. Number of recipients of a non out-of-work benefit who are not in receipt of an out- of-work benefit at the same time by average weekly amount of benefit (August 2011). 2. Non out-of-work benefit: Non out-of-work benefits have been classified as the following; attendance allowance, bereavement benefit, carer's allowance, disability living allowance, pension credit, state pension and widow's allowance. 3. Out-of-work benefit: Out-of-work benefits have been classified as the following; employment and support allowance, incapacity benefit, income support, jobseekers allowance and severe disablement allowance. 4. Attendance allowance, carer's allowance and disability living allowance: Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended. 5. State pension age: The age at which women reach state pension age is gradually increasing from 60 to 65 between April 2010 and April 2016 to November 2018. Under current legislation, state pension age for men and women is planned to increase to: 66 between November 2018 and October 2020; 67 between 2034 and 2036; 68 between 2044 and 2046. This will introduce a small increase to the number of working age benefit recipients and a small reduction to the number of pension age recipients. 6. Housing benefit is not included as it is paid to those in and out of work. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Unemployment Benefits: EU Nationals

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of unemployment benefit claimants were from each other EU member state in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

Unemployment: Tower Hamlet

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Nomis labour market profile for Tower Hamlets, published on 27 November 2012, if he will commission research on the reasons for 44,200 out of the 55,100 people defined as economically inactive stating that they do not want a job.

Mark Hoban: The reasons that economically inactive people give for not wanting a job are available from the Annual Population Survey produced by the Office for National Statistics. This is the same source as used for the estimates in the Nomis labour market profile. The key reasons given by those in Tower Hamlets are in the following table.
	
		
			 Reason for not wanting a job Percentage of total 
			 Looking after the family/home 40 
			 Student 35 
			 Long-term sick or disabled 15 
			 Other reason or no reason given 10 
			 All economically inactive who do not want a job 100 
			 Notes: 1. Estimates are based on small sample sizes and should be treated with caution. 2. Estimates have been rounded to the nearest 5%. 3. ‘Other’ reasons include those who state that they are retired, temporarily sick or injured, believe no jobs are available, have not yet started looking, or other unspecified reason Source: ONS annual population survey, July 2011 to June 2012.

Unemployment: Tower Hamlets

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Nomis labour market profile for Tower Hamlets, published on 27 November 2012, if he will assess the skill levels of the 10,900 people defined as economically inactive who state that they want a job.

Mark Hoban: Information on skill levels is not available. Highest qualification levels are, however, often used as a proxy for skill levels. The estimated highest qualification levels for the 10,900 people in Tower Hamlets defined as economically inactive who state that they want a job are outlined in the following table.
	
		
			 Highest qualification level Percentage of people defined as economically inactive who state that they want a job in Tower Hamlets 
			 No qualifications/below level 3 55 
			 Level 3 and above 45 
			 Notes: 1. The figures are based on small sample sizes and should be treated with caution. Categories have been combined where the sample sizes were too small to produce reliable estimates. 2. Estimates have been rounded to the nearest 5%. 3. Highest qualification levels are estimated from individual responses and some adjustments to account for unknown qualification levels. 4. Highest qualification levels are grouped to be of an equivalent level of NVQs. Source: ONS Annual Population Survey July, 2011 to June 2012

Winter Fuel Payments: Chatham

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Chatham and Aylesford constituency are eligible for winter fuel payments.

Steve Webb: Over 95% of winter fuel payments are made automatically, without the need to claim, based on information held in DWP records. A small number of people whose circumstances we do not know need to make a claim. It is not possible to give the exact number of eligible people, but we have no reason to estimate that eligibility is materially different from the number of payments made.
	Information on the number of winter fuel payments paid is provided in the documents “Winter Fuel Payment recipients 2011-12 by Parliamentary Constituencies and Gender (All)”. This is available in the Commons Library and on the internet at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp

Work Capability Assessment

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk and (c) Cambridgeshire have (i) undergone work capability assessments, (ii) been found capable of work following an assessment, (iii) appealed against their assessment and (iv) subsequently been successful in their appeals since the inception of work capability assessments; and what proportion of the caseload this represents in each such case.

Mark Hoban: Table 1 shows the number and proportion of work capability assessment (WCA) undertaken in Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire for new employment and support allowance (ESA) claims started between October 2008 and February 2012 and incapacity benefit claims referred for reassessment until February 2012.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Area WCAs complete Fit for Work decisions 
			  Count Count Percentage 
			 Suffolk 22,900 9,100 40 
			 Norfolk 28,900 11,800 41 
			 Cambridgeshire 23,500 8,400 36 
			 Notes: 1. Figures include initial and repeat WCAs as well as incapacity benefit reassessment WCAs. 2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number and proportion of appeals against Fit for Work decisions following initial WCA for new ESA claims started between October 2008 and August 2011. These are the latest data available due to the time required for appeals to be heard. They do not include appeals against Work Related Activity Group decisions or appeals against repeat WCA outcomes or incapacity benefit reassessment WCAs.
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Area Fit for work decisions Appeals heard against Fit for Work decisions DWP decision overturned 
			  Count Count Percentage Count Percentage of FfW 
			 Suffolk 3,700 1,700 47 600 16 
			 Norfolk 5,000 2,300 46 800 16 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,400 1,500 42 500 16 
			 Note: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. 
		
	
	Information on the number of claimants making an appeal is not available until their appeal has been heard by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service.

Work Programme

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has put in place to ensure good communication and the sharing of good practice between work programme providers and Jobcentre Plus staff.

Mark Hoban: Effective communication is built into working relationships been Jobcentre Plus and providers, reinforced by regular local meetings to exchange information and ideas, and to address issues of mutual interest. Particular examples of activities designed to support effective communications and best practice include:
	co-location of staff on either Work programme, Jobcentre or local partner premises;
	working together at local level to improve the information given to claimants joining the Work programme;
	job shadowing; and
	sharing of job vacancies and local labour market information.
	Arrangements between Jobcentre Plus and providers vary with local circumstances and providers' delivery models. All parties continually review arrangements to enhance collaboration.

Work Programme

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have come off benefits after joining the Work programme to date.

Mark Hoban: Last month we published data showing that of those 28,600 claimants who were attached to the Work programme in June 2011 57% (16,300) had spent some time off-benefits. The last time we released these figures—July 2012—we showed that 48% of this group had spent some time off-benefits. So these figures not only show that the programme is moving people off-benefits but also that, as claimants spend longer on the programme, more and more of them are coming off-benefits.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what proportion of Work Programme participants who secured a job outcome did that outcome comprise (a) one employment, (b) two employments, (c) three employments, (d) four employments and (e) five or more employments.

Mark Hoban: This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) median and (b) mean number of employments is making up a job outcome for participants in the Work Programme who secured a job outcome and who were previously in receipt of (i) jobseeker's allowance and (ii) employment and support allowance.

Mark Hoban: This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what value he has assigned to the minimum performance standard for the (a) JSA early access, (b) JSA Ex-IB, (c) ESA volunteer and (d) ESA Ex-IB Work Programme payment groups.

Mark Hoban: The minimum performance standard applies only to payment groups one (JSA 18 to 24), two (JSA 25 and over) and six (new ESA claimants). It is defined as non-intervention performance level plus 10%.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the finding of his recently published data on the Work programme that 30 recipients of employment and support allowance who formerly received incapacity benefit secured a job outcome in the first 14 months of the Work programme, what plans he has to make the Work programme more effective for that group of jobseekers.

Mark Hoban: The Work programme is designed to support participants, many of whom are a long way from the labour market, for up to two years and the recently published data only cover the job outcomes achieved in the first 14 months of the programme. Providers still have time to work with participants who formerly received incapacity benefit and are now receiving employment and support allowance. We are working closely with providers to ensure that they are developing plans for improving performance. Providers who do not improve can expect contractual action which can result in contract termination.

Work Programme

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England have secured employment through the Work Programme to date; and what the average length of time of that employment has been.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.
	Statistics on how many people in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the west midlands and (d) England have secured job outcomes through the Work Programme to date can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

Work Programme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people found fit for work under the work capability assessment have been attached to the Work Programme (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of all people found fit for work under the work capability assessment in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland and (iii) each local authority area.

Mark Hoban: The information is not readily available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Programme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people placed in the work-related activity group following a work capability assessment have been attached to the Work programme (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of those placed in the work-related activity group in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland and (iii) each local authority area.

Mark Hoban: The information is not readily available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Programme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people placed in the work-related activity group following a work capability assessment have been helped into employment lasting longer than six months through the Work programme (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of those placed in the work-related activity group in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland and (iii) each local authority area.

Mark Hoban: The information is not readily available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Programme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former incapacity benefit claimants have been helped into employment lasting more than six months through the Work programme in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each local authority.

Mark Hoban: The number of former incapacity benefit claimants who have been helped into employment lasting more than 25 weeks through the Work programme in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each local authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of JSA/ESA ex-IB payment group Work programme job outcomes with three or more sustainment payments by area; as at 31 July 2012 
			 Area Total 
			 Great Britain 60 
			 Scotland 10 
			 Kingston upon Hull local authority 10 
			 Notes: 1. All local authorities not shown in the table have values of less than five. 2. Figures are cumulative and are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures are refreshed each time they are published and are subject to change. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate (IGS)

Work Programme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people found fit for work under the work capability assessment were helped into work lasting longer than six months through the Work programme in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each local authority area (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of those found fit for work under the work capability assessment.

Mark Hoban: The information is not readily available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Programme

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prison leavers in receipt of jobseeker's allowance were referred to the Work Programme in the first 12 months of that programme.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on how many prison leavers on jobseeker's allowance were referred to the Work Programme in the first 12 months of that programme can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

Work Programme

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prison leavers in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and referred to the Work Programme would have needed to have achieved a job outcome to satisfy the minimum performance level in the first 12 months of the Work Programme; and how many such people achieved a job outcome.

Mark Hoban: Minimum performance levels have only been set for payment groups one, two and six (JSA 18 to 24-year-olds, JSA 25 plus and new ESA claimants). Payment group nine (prison leavers) was introduced in February 2012, and the first attachments occurred in March 2012. Claimants in this payment group must be in work for six months before they achieve a job outcome—as such, no job outcomes could be achieved in the period covered by this official statistics release. The period covered was up to the end of July 2012.

Work Programme: North West

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the first year performance data for the Work programme, what steps he has taken in respect of the performance of the Work programme providers for the Merseyside, Halton, Cumbria and Lancashire contract package area.

Mark Hoban: We are managing all our providers robustly to improve performance, and we are taking decisive action with those who are not delivering the Work programme to the standards we expect. We have already issued formal contract letters to providers for those contracts we deem are not delivering the Work programme to the agreed standards. However, we cannot disclose which providers we are taking formal action with as this information is commercial in confidence.

Work Programme: Stoke on Trent

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people completed the Work Programme achieving six months without receiving benefits and in employment in the first year of the programme in Stoke-on-Trent North constituency.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available. Participants remain on the Work Programme for two years unless they complete early, which can only happen in limited circumstances.
	Statistics on Work Programme job outcomes for Stoke-on-Trent North constituency can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

JUSTICE

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many awards were made through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme for (a) dependency and (b) loss of parental services in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12; and what the total value was of such awards.

Helen Grant: The figures are as follows:
	
		
			 Year Band Dependency cases Dependency value (£) LoPS cases LoPS value (£) 
			 2009/10 10 88 3,831,544 250 4,216,541 
			  13 2 55,037 4 50,000 
			 2010/11 10 114 3,820,491 256 4,675,670 
			  13 2 28,500 4 46,000 
			 2011/12 10 114 5,030,822 205 3,344,806 
			  13 2 29,406 4 86,000

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many recipients of awards in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme were resident (a) in England, (b) in Scotland, (c) in Wales and (d) outside the UK for (i) dependency and (ii) loss of parental services in (A) 2009-10, (B) 2010-11 and (C) 2011-12; and what the total amount of each type of payment received by victims' families was in each country;
	(2)  how many victims resident (a) in England, (b) in Scotland, (c) in Wales and (d) outside the UK received an award under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each tariff band in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12; and what the total amount received by such victims was in each tariff band in each country.

Helen Grant: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) only holds information about applicants' residency in individual files, and so could compile the answer only at disproportionate cost. They can, however, provide a close approximation by giving figures based on which police force was investigating the incidents that gave rise to claims.
	I have placed figures in the Library of the House showing how many awards were paid in each tariff band in each of the specified years, broken down by the police force from which CICA received a report about the incident giving rise to the claim. No figures are available for outside the UK because CICA only compensates for injuries sustained in, and attributable to a crime that took place in, Great Britain.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many victims of crime received an award under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in each tariff band in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and what the total amount received by such victims was in each tariff band.

Helen Grant: The figures are as follows.
	Some tariff bands changed with scheme changes in 2001 and 2008, so there are two or more figures for some bands in each year to reflect the number of awards paid broken down by which scheme was applicable.
	
		
			  Band Amount Number of cases Amount paid out 
			 2009-10 1 1,000 5,538 5,809,618 
			  2 1,250 1,989 2,513,428 
			  3 1,500 6,179 9,458,777 
			  4 1,750 557 1,033,479 
			  5 2,000 4,274 9,229,056 
			  6 2,500 2,723 7,347,800 
			  7 3,300 3,875 14,225,707 
			  7 3,000 15 38,075 
			  8 3,800 2,234 9,236,669 
			  8 3,500 6 19,700 
			  9 4,000 6 25,466 
			  9 4,400 3,545 17,667,402 
			  10 5,500 1,654 17,845,023 
			  10 5,000 8 398,335 
			  11 6,600 372 2,891,197 
			  11 6,000 1 6,000 
			  12 8,200 1,293 16,488,609 
			  12 7,500 16 244,087 
			  13 22,000 3 52,277 
			  13 11,000 1,441 18,128,867 
			  13 10,000 7 64,040 
			  14 12,500 1 12,700 
			  14 13,500 329 10,098,122 
			  15 16,500 687 14,978,304 
			  15 15,000 6 137,194 
			  16 19,000 95 4,140,198 
			  16 17,500 I 17,500 
			  17 20,000 11 1,097,851 
			  17 22,000 453 11,962,686 
			  18 27,000 57 3,929,521 
			  18 30,000 1 315,181 
			  19 33,000 9 619,672 
			  19 30,000 1 315,181 
			  20 44,000 39 5,948,297 
			  20 40,000 14 4,907,911 
			  21 55,000 5 482,852 
			  21 50,000 3 1,499,375 
			  22 75,000 1 500,000 
			  23 110,000 26 8,855,206 
			  24 175,000 8 2,339,818 
			  25 250,000 23 9,461,599 
			      
			 2010-11 1 1,000 5,462 5,850,696 
			  2 1,250 1,601 2,031,476 
			  3 1,500 6,361 9,686,572 
			  4 1,750 374 702,710 
			  5 2,000 5,113 11,130,953 
			  6 2,500 2,936 8,003,514 
			  7 3,300 4,295 15,517,991 
			  7 3,000 4 29,891 
			  8 3,800 2,337 9,564,516 
			  9 4,400 3,849 19,358,194 
			  10 5,500 1,703 19,597,661 
		
	
	
		
			  10 5,000 6 450,018 
			  11 6,000 2 12,795 
			  11 6,600 406 3,334,368 
			  12 8,200 1,274 17,262,706 
			  12 7,500 21 788,707 
			  12 22,000 1 4,400 
			  13 11,000 1,700 21,700,216 
			  13 10,000 6 304,596 
			  14 13,500 380 11,971,930 
			  15 15,000 5 1,031,974 
			  15 16,500 819 17,185,753 
			  16 19,000 110 6,673,717 
			  17 22,000 601 18,254,206 
			  17 20,000 22 2,119,312 
			  17 11,000 2 24,468 
			  18 27,000 82 5,569,655 
			  19 33,000 24 1,846,320 
			  20 44,000 67 13,509,845 
			  20 40,000 16 5,580,561 
			  21 50,000 8 3,101,450 
			  21 55,000 26 4,041,215 
			  22 82,000 4 1,171,170 
			  22 75,000 1 500,000 
			  23 110,000 16 4,365,899 
			  24 175,000 9 2,810,650 
			  25 250,000 30 12,541,779 
			      
			 2011-12 1 1,000 4,512 4,790,991 
			  2 1,250 1,302 1,651,160 
			  3 1,500 5,456 8,302,084 
			  4 1,750 254 461,930 
			  5 2,000 4,395 9,552,132 
			  6 2,500 2,342 6,356,465 
			  7 3,300 3,460 12,628,452 
			  7 3,000 4 12,000 
			  8 3,800 1,951 7,983,229 
			  8 3,500 1 3,700 
			  9 4,400 3,182 15,578,693 
			  10 5,000 2 62,754 
			  10 5,500 1,369 16,800,953 
			  11 6,600 304 2,371,579 
			  12 22,000 2 35,580 
			  12 8,200 995 13,854,907 
			  12 7,500 5 123,556 
			  13 11,000 1,416 17,053,603 
			  13 10,000 2 61,250 
			  14 13,500 325 11,911,851 
			  15 15,000 2 145,645 
			  15 16,500 721 15,677,820 
			  16 19,000 90 4,814,370 
			  17 22,000 552 15,681,347 
			  17 20,000 11 1,867,529 
			  17 11,000 4 49,820 
		
	
	
		
			  IS 25,000 2 76,850 
			  18 27,000 79 4,390,672 
			  19 33,000 9 597,256 
			  20 40,000 6 1,263,957 
			  20 44,000 59 13,551,266 
			  21 50,000 2 825,655 
			  21 55,000 23 3,883,247 
			  22 82,000 2 271,849 
			  22 75,000 2 1,000,000 
			  23 110,000 26 8,539,164 
			  24 175,000 4 1,390,089 
			  25 250,000 16 7,472,458

Employment Tribunals Service: Suffolk

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employment tribunal cases have been brought against businesses in Suffolk Coastal constituency in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice publishes, annually and quarterly, Official Statistics on tribunal workloads, including data on national receipts and disposals in the employment tribunals system.
	This published data on new claim receipts for employment tribunals are not broken down by geographical locations. However, it is possible to interrogate Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service's case management systems to produce management information on workloads by reference to, among other criteria, the postcodes of respondent employers in 'live' (or recently disposed of) employment tribunal proceedings.
	Save where an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal is lodged, case records (including electronic case management entries) are archived a year after the point of disposal. Once archived, statistical data are retained but anonymised. Therefore, it is no longer possible to retrieve data by reference to party details, including address details of the respondent employers involved.
	Using management information for the last complete and available reporting period (November 2011 to June 2012), 110 claims were accepted by the Employment Tribunal Office in Bury St Edmunds (the office covering the geographical area in question) where the respondent employer's address was listed in the constituency of Suffolk Coastal.
	For the purposes of answering this question, we have assumed that the constituency is coterminous with the postcode districts IP5, IP10 to 13, IP15 to 18, IP19 and NR34. The following table shows the postcodes listed for the Suffolk Coastal constituency and the receipts of claims against business in each of these areas.
	
		
			 Table 1: Receipts of employment tribunal claims against business in the listed postcode areas for the Suffolk Coastal constituency (November 2011 to June 2012) 
			 Postcodes Receipts 
			 IP5 15 
			 IP10 8 
			 IP11 30 
			 IP12 12 
			 IP13 <5 
			 IP15 <5 
			 IP16 <5 
			 IP17 <5 
			 IP18 <5 
			 IP19 5 
			 NR34 23 
			 Total 110 
			 Note: Figures in the table are rounded independently (values above 100 are rounded to the nearest 10, values below 100 are not rounded and values fewer than 5 (<5) are not reported to comply with data protection). 
		
	
	Management information for the remainder of the last available 12 month period (July, August and September 2012) cannot be released under Official Statistics protocols until data on 2012-13 Quarter 2 is published on 17 January 2013.

Legal Aid Scheme

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the compatibility of his planned changes to legal aid in 2013 with the Government's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Jeremy Wright: The Government's view is that the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 is compliant with our international obligations, including those under the UN convention on the rights of the child.

Parole Board

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total cost incurred by his Department was in managing the process to recruit and secure appointment of members of the Parole Board in respect of the exercise which closed on 29 June 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The total costs incurred in managing the recruitment of members of the Parole Board was £113,338 (inclusive of VAT).

Parole Board

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the total value of the fee paid to Gatenby Sanderson in respect of the process to recruit members to the Parole Board which closed on 29 June 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The total value of the fee paid to Gatenby Sanderson in respect of the recruitment of members to the Parole Board is £110,920 (inc. VAT).

Parole Board

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department has provided to (a) Gatenby Sanderson and (b) the final interview appointment panel on the use of (i) the candidate's initial application and (ii) the report on psychometric testing carried out by the Assessment Centre in informing their deliberations on appointment of members of the Parole Board.

Jeremy Wright: The information is as follows:
	(a)(i) As part of the Parole Board recruitment exercise Gatenby Sanderson, as part of the general recruitment contract, carried out an initial assessment of the application forms submitted by candidates for this competition. This involved Gatenby assessing the evidence supplied by each candidate against each of the six essential criteria for the role and scoring it between 0 and 5 depending on the quality and depth of the information supplied, each applicant receiving a total score of between 0 and 30.
	(a)(ii) The Department does not guide Gatenby Sanderson on the use of the Assessment Centre report. Gatenby Sanderson supplies the report to the selection panel who, on considering the results, agree which of the candidates to call to the final interview. Gatenby Sanderson may use the report in supplying feedback to candidates once they have received the result of their application.
	(b)(i) The selection panel was chaired by Maggie Garrett, the then Acting Head of Sponsorship, MOJ arm's length bodies governance division, who as the MOJ official on the selection panel was responsible for ensuring the views of the Department were represented in the selection process and that the principles of openness, fairness and appointment on merit were met as required by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice. The panel also followed the sift guidance when assessing the scoring carried out on the applications by Gatenby Sanderson. Following their deliberations of the scores the panel then agreed which of the candidates should progress to the Assessment Centre stage of the process.
	(b)(ii) The structure of the Assessment Centre process for this campaign, and how each of the essential criteria should be tested, was agreed between Gatenby Sanderson and officials from the Parole Board and the Department. The selection panel discussed how best to use the information contained within the Assessment Centre reports when considering which candidates to call to the final interview in the process.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the eligibility criteria are for transfer of prisoners under the EU prisoner transfer agreement;
	(2)  how many prisoners of each country have been considered eligible for transfer from the UK to their country of citizenship under the EU prisoner transfer agreement since 5 December 2011;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the cost incurred in holding those EU prisoners that are eligible for transfer under the EU prisoner transfer agreement since 5 December 2011;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2012, Official Report, column 544W, on prisoners: repatriation, how his Department identifies those prisoners eligible for transfer under the EU prisoner transfer agreement.

Jeremy Wright: The transfer of prisoners between member states of the European Union is governed by the Council Framework Decision 2008/909//JHA ("the EU prisoner transfer agreement") and the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.
	The EU prisoner transfer agreement entered into force on 5 December 2011. To date it has been implemented by 12 member states, including the United Kingdom. The remaining member states are expected to implement the agreement in 2013-14. The agreement provides for the transfer of a prisoner without the consent of the person concerned where that person is to be transferred to his country of nationality in which he ordinarily lives, or to his country of nationality to which he will be deported. The agreement applies to prisoners with more than six months left to serve in custody.
	Prisoners who may be eligible for transfer are identified centrally by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) shortly after sentence using the central prisoner database (P-NOMIS). Cases that appear to meet the criteria for transfer are then referred to the United Kingdom Border Agency to be considered for deportation. The number of prisoners from each of those member states which have implemented the agreement and who might be eligible for transfer is given in the table.
	No separate estimate has been made of the cost incurred of holding EU nationals who might be eligible for transfer under the EU prisoner transfer agreement. It remains Government policy that, wherever possible, prisoners should serve their sentences in their own country. All of those prisoners from member states which have implemented the EU prisoner transfer agreement, and who it is considered may be eligible for transfer, are being actively case worked and will be transferred at the earliest possible opportunity.
	The repatriation of prisoners from Scotland and from Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the relevant Minister.
	
		
			 Member states which have implemented the EU prisoner transfer agreement and the number of prisoners considered who might be eligible for transfer 
			 Countries which have implemented the EU PTA Number of prisoners being considered for transfer 
			 Austria 6 
			 Belgium 3 
			 Denmark 8 
			 Finland 2 
			 Italy 22 
			 Latvia 40 
			 Luxembourg 1 
			 Malta 1 
			 Netherlands 47 
			 Slovakia 27 
			 Poland(1) 0 
			 Total 157 
			 (1) Poland has a five year derogation on the application of transfer without the prisoners consent. Data Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Reoffenders

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness in reducing reoffending of education requirements for offenders on supervision;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness in reducing reoffending of training and employment requirements for offenders on supervision.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the effectiveness in reducing reoffending of education, training and employment requirements for offenders on supervision is not currently available.
	The Ministry of Justice's (MOJ) ongoing Offender Management Community Cohort Study (OMCCS) aims to look at how community orders operate and their effectiveness. The study uses a dataset based on a cohort of offenders given these sentences between October 2009 and December 2010. Reports looking at the effectiveness of community orders in reducing reoffending are due to be published during 2013.

Sentencing

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects indeterminate sentences for public protection to stop being available for use in judicial proceedings.

Jeremy Wright: On 3 December the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Commencement No. 4 and Savings Provisions) Order 2012 brought into effect Chapter 5 of Part 3 of the Act. These provisions abolish sentences of imprisonment for public protection and introduce a new sentencing scheme for dangerous offenders, which includes a new robust extended determinate sentence, and a new mandatory life sentence where an offender is convicted of a second very serious sexual or violent offence. Sentences of imprisonment for public protection are not available for offenders convicted on or after 3 December.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Work and Pensions to the Public Accounts Committee of 19 November 2012, HC 744-i, Q113, 
	(1)  how many appeals to work capability decisions were disposed of in (a) one to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12, (d) 13 to 16, (e) 17 to 20, (f) 21 to 24, (g) 25 to 28, (h) 29 to 32, (i) 33 to 36 and (j) 37 to 40 weeks in (i) the UK and (ii) each region in each month since May 2010;
	(2)  what proportion of total appeals to work capability decisions were disposed of in (a) one to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12, (d) 13 to 16, (e) 17 to 20, (f) 21 to 24, (g) 25 to 28, (h) 29 to 32, (i) 33 to 36 and (j) 37 to 40 weeks in (i) the UK and (ii) each region since May 2010.

Helen Grant: The First-tier Tribunal - Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) (decisions in which the work capability assessment is a key factor) rather than appeals against work capability assessment decisions themselves.
	The SSCS Tribunal does not hold details of disposals in the time periods requested but rather in four week bands i.e. four weeks or less, between four and eight weeks, between eight and 12 weeks etc. Due to the volume of data involved I will arrange for the information necessary to answer the questions posed to be placed in the Library of the House.
	HMCTS is working hard at a national level to increase the capacity of the SSCS Tribunal and reduce waiting times. It has implemented a range of measures which include recruiting more judges and medical panel members; increasing administrative resources and streamlining processes; securing additional hearing venues across the country; increasing the number of cases listed in each Tribunal session; running double shifts in its largest processing centre; running Saturday sittings in some of the busiest venues; and establishing a customer contact centre to deal with telephone inquiries.
	All of this is having a positive effect. The total number of disposals has increased significantly from 279,000 in 2009-10 to 380,000 in 2010-11, and 433,600 appeals in 2011-12 and the average waiting time has fallen nationally.

Young Offender Institutions

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on meeting the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, in relation to restraint and complaints in the youth secure estate, in the report to the Government following its visit to the UK in 2008.

Jeremy Wright: We have made significant progress in the areas of restraint, operation of complaints systems and staff training in the under-18 secure estate, all of which were referenced in the Committee's recommendations.
	We have developed a new system of restraint for use in under-18 Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) and Secure Training Centres (STCs). This system has gone through a rigorous independent assessment by the Restraint Advisory Board (now the Independent Restraint Advisory Panel). The new system covers training in recognising and managing challenging behaviour at the point of, during and after an incident of restraint as well as including a package of risk assessed physical restraint techniques. The nose distraction technique has been removed from use in the under-18 secure estate. The use of pain-inducing restraint techniques is permitted only to protect the young person, staff or others from an immediate risk of serious physical harm.
	The Youth Justice Board review of complaints systems in the under-18 secure estate published in 2011, led to an action plan which is being implemented to deliver further improvements. In addition, all secure establishments have access to an independent advocacy service for young people. This service exists to empower young people to speak for themselves and to ensure that their views are taken into account.
	We recognise the importance of ensuring that staff are appropriately trained to work with young people in custody and meet their needs. To that effect, all staff working with young people in under-18 YOIs must now undertake the ‘Working with Young People in Custody’ training course which has replaced the Juvenile Awareness Staff Programme.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Anaerobic Digestion

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK anaerobic digestion plants accepting waste in each of the years between 2012 and 2017.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold information on the number of UK anaerobic digestion plants accepting waste. DECC has identified 94 plants as being operational at the end of October 2012 (excluding any sewage digestion schemes). The following table sets out DECC latest projections of additional anaerobic digestion (AD) plants, on an annual basis, expected to be deployed between April 2013 and April 2017.
	
		
			 Expected additional installations 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 
			 (1) Electricity 10 20 20 30 
			 (2) Heat only 10 14 14 16 
			 Sources: 1. Feed In Tariff (FIT) Comprehensive Review Phase 2B Impact Assessment. 2. DECC's latest projection of December 2012 for the deployment of biogas plants under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). This covers all sources of biogas eligible for the RHI, including biogas for direct use in boilers and that injected into the grid with an average plant size of approximately 4MW. 
		
	
	Projections of future AD uptake are highly uncertain. This reflects underlying uncertainties around many aspects of the technology, including cost assumptions and load factors as well as non-financial drivers of uptake such as planning.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in his Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not currently employ any staff on consultancy contracts. This is as of 30 September 2012. As of 30 September 2011, there was one person working in DECC on a consultancy contract.

Electricity

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of (a) the advantages of voltage optimisation and management in saving electricity and (b) how many new electricity generating power stations would be unnecessary if such optimisation were installed throughout the UK; whether he plans to introduce incentives for the uptake of such technology; and what recent progress he has made in including voltage optimisation and management in the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: DECC has engaged closely with the voltage optimisation and management industry over recent months, and has ensured that the industry has sent its reports to the independent Scientific Integrity Group, which reports to the Government contractors working on the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). This group is reviewing evidence from industry and other sources. We look forward to the views of the expert group, in the light of which it will be possible, to provide a firmer assessment of the modellable energy-saving benefits of the technology and the potential for its inclusion within SAP and in turn the Green Deal.

Electricity Generation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the liabilities of the single counter-party company for contracts for difference will be underwritten by the Government.

John Hayes: The single counterparty will be a Government-owned company. While the counterparty will be owned by Government, payments will always come from suppliers to match payments to generators. The obligation on suppliers to pay will be a requirement of their licences, regulated by Ofgem. The risk of supplier default impacting on payment flows will be mitigated by a series of backstops including the advance posting of credit and collateral to cover any payment period and the mutualisation of any losses across suppliers. In the event of an insolvency, the supplier of last resort regime (which effectively moves customers to a new supplier), and the Energy Company Administration Scheme (whereby an administrator continues to supply and meet obligations), would be in place to ensure that payments would continue. We believe these measures are sufficient.

Electricity Generation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his timetable is for the administrative setting of a strike price for future low-carbon energy provision.

John Hayes: As set out by the Department in May of this year, I will set strike prices for renewables technologies in the Energy Market Reform (EMR) delivery plan, to be published in 2013. I will make an assessment of those strike prices on the basis of analysis received from the system operator and other relevant evidence, including a report of external scrutiny by a panel of technical experts. I will then publish a draft of the first delivery plan for consultation in July 2013, and a final delivery plan by the end of 2013, subject to Royal Assent to the Energy Bill, including initial strike prices for renewable technologies and the analysis that informed those decisions.
	Strike prices for any carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects supported under the CCS Commercialisation programme will be set during the course of the CCS competition.
	The Department is developing proposals on the price setting processes that will apply to CCS and nuclear projects that come forward after EMR is implemented. Further detail will be published in July 2013.

Energy: Finance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral statement of 29 November 2012, Official Report, column 389, on energy policy, what the evidential basis is for the statement that energy investment is running at a 20-year high.

John Hayes: According to a recent report—‘Powering the UK’, published by Ernst and Young in July 2012—investment in the power and gas sector was £43 billion between 2007 and 2011. This rate of investment (as a proportion of total turnover for the sector) was 12%, which is a 20-year high.

Energy: Meters

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with energy suppliers on passing on savings due to the smart metering roll-out programme to consumers.

John Hayes: Ministers have regular meetings with energy suppliers where a wide range of topics are discussed. These topics include the importance of consumers receiving the full benefits of the Smart Meters Implementation Programme. A list of all meetings between external organisations and DECC Ministers are published on a quarterly basis on the DECC website and are available for download at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/registers.aspx
	Given competitive pressures in the retail market, and the action Government and Ofgem are taking to promote competition, we expect suppliers to pass through the efficiency savings they achieve from smart metering to consumers.

Energy: Meters

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many smart meters were installed in domestic properties during the foundation stage of the national roll-out programme.

John Hayes: The Government's vision is for every home in Great Britain to have smart electricity and gas meters, and for smaller businesses and public sector users to have smart or advanced metering suited to their needs. The foundation stage of the Smart Metering Implementation Programme began in March 2011 and will continue until the start of mass roll-out towards the end of 2014.
	The focus for many energy suppliers during this period is on testing and trialling the technology and approach to engaging consumers with smart meters. We expect the projections for the number of smart meters to be rolled out during the foundation stage to evolve according to suppliers' experiences during this period of learning and early roll-out.
	Energy suppliers currently estimate that they will roll out some 4 million smart and advanced meters by the end of the foundation stage in late 2014.

Energy: Meters

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he intends to publish the consumer engagement strategy for the smart meter roll-out programme.

John Hayes: The Government published a consultation on a Smart Metering Consumer Engagement Strategy in April 2012. It will be publishing the response to this consultation (the final Consumer Engagement Strategy) and associated licence conditions shortly.

Energy: Prices

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department will publish its annual assessment of energy and climate change policies on domestic energy prices in 2012.

John Hayes: DECC's assessment of the impacts of energy and climate change policies on gas and electricity prices and bills is being updated to reflect recent developments including the 23 November announcement of the HMT Levy Control Framework for low carbon electricity up to 2020-21, and will be published in due course.

ICT: Theft

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The following items were lost or stolen during 2010-11 and 2011-12:
	2010-11
	Computers (including laptops): 5
	Mobile phones: 3
	BlackBerry: 12
	Other IT equipment: 0
	2011-12
	Computers (including laptops):10
	Mobile phones:1
	BlackBerry:17
	Other IT equipment: 0.
	All computers and BlackBerrys lost were encrypted to protect Government information.

Insulation: Housing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral statement of 29 November 2012, Official Report, column 388, on energy policy, what the evidential basis is for the statement that two million insulation measures were installed in the year to June 2012.

Gregory Barker: The statement that 2 million insulation measures were installed in the year to June 2012 is based on DECC's statistics publication ‘Estimates of home insulation levels in Great Britain’(1). The 2 million insulation measures delivered are made up of 1.4 million installations of loft insulation, 0.6 million installations of cavity wall insulation and 33,000 installations of solid wall insulation between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012. These figures cover retro-fit insulation measures delivered through Government schemes only, and therefore exclude insulation measures installed in properties built during this period.
	(1) This publication can be accessed from the following link:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/en_effic_stats/home_ins_est/home_ins_est.aspx

Natural Gas

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects Ofgem to complete its report into Trading on the Gas Market.

John Hayes: Ofgem have not announced an expected completion date, however they are reviewing the allegations of market abuse as a matter of urgency. The analysis required for reviewing allegations of this nature is complex and will often take time.

Parking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what contracts for providing car park management services to his Department are held by private companies.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold any contracts with private companies for the provision of car park management services.

Parking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total value is of any contracts between his Department and private companies for car park management services in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) South Lanarkshire local authority area.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is located on two sites, one in London and the other in Aberdeen.
	It does not have any contracts with private companies for car park management services in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland or (c) South Lanarkshire local authority area.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many employees of his Department were paid (a) between £80,000 and £100,000 and (b) in excess of £100,000 per year in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008, to bring together energy policy (previously with the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which is now the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills), and climate change mitigation policy (previously with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). Therefore I am unable to provide any information prior to that date.
	The numbers of employees in the Department being paid a salary of (a) between £80,000 and £100,000 and (b) in excess of £100,000 per year, in each of the years for which data is available is shown in the table below. All data shown are as at 30 September in line with the answer provided to written parliamentary questions 128558 on 20 November 2012, Official Report, column 452W, and 130514 on 30 November 2012, Official Report, column 548W
	
		
			 As at 30 September each year Salary between £80,000 and £100,000 Salary in excess of £100,000 Total 
			 2009 17 10 27 
			 2010 18 10 28 
			 2011 19 14 33 
			 2012 22 15 (1)37 
			 (1) In the earlier responses to written parliamentary questions 128558 on 20 November 2012 and 130514 on 30 November there was an error in the data for those on salaries of between £80,000 and £100,000 and in excess of £100,000 which are corrected in this response.

Renewable Energy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what support his Department provides for the showcasing of newly developed technology in the field of renewable energy.

Gregory Barker: The Government supports the development and demonstration of renewable energy technologies to bring new technologies to a point where there is sufficient confidence to attract private sector investment to deploy them at a commercial scale. For example, DECC is providing the following support:
	Up to £20 million for marine through the Marine Energy Array Demonstrator Scheme to support the pre-commercial demonstration of marine array devices.
	Up to £30 million for offshore wind through the Offshore Wind Components Technologies Scheme and the Carbon Trust's Offshore Wind Accelerator scheme which support the development of innovative offshore wind technologies that will help reduce the cost of offshore wind deployment.
	Up to £ 17 million for Bioenergy systems demonstration projects.
	The above schemes are enhanced by attracting additional funding from the private sector, the European Union and other funding bodies.
	In addition the Government have provided support for testing facilities for cutting edge new technology in a controlled test environment which will have an important role to play in bringing down the costs of renewable technologies.
	Through the Renewables Obligation and the new Contacts for Difference being developed under the Government's Electricity Market Reform programme, we have put in place market support which will promote the further commercialisation and deployment of these technologies at scale.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) his Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which he is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) his Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The annual turnover rate for senior civil servants (SCS) in Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in each of the last two years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Period Average SCS headcount Total of number of SCS leavers Annual turnover rate (percentage) 
			 May 2010 to October 2010 85.34 4 (1)4.69 
			 November 2010 to October 2011 89.51 8 8.94 
			 November 2011 to October 2012 98.7 8 8.11 
			 (1) Over seven months 
		
	
	There are no senior civil servants employed in any of the public bodies for which DECC is responsible.

Senior Civil Servants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department will use an appointment panel for the re-run of the appointment process for the post of departmental permanent secretary as was used in the previous appointment process.

Gregory Barker: The selection panel for the re-run of the appointment process will be chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner, Sir David Normington, and will also include Sir Bob Kerslake, Head of the Civil Service; Claire Thomas, Non-Executive Director at DECC; and Martin Donnelly, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

Senior Civil Servants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the appointment panel process for the post of departmental permanent secretary sought the applicants' views on current Government policy and direction.

Gregory Barker: We do not hold a record of the questions posed to individual candidates during the appointment process.

Senior Civil Servants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of the shortlisted applicants during the unsuccessful appointment process for the post of departmental permanent secretary were (a) men and (b) women.

Gregory Barker: Due to the small numbers involved we are unable to provide a gender breakdown.

Senior Civil Servants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department's senior management team are (a) men and (b) women.

Gregory Barker: The senior management team of the Department of Energy and Climate Change consists of four men and one woman.

Senior Civil Servants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the job description and person specification for the post of permanent secretary of his Department changed between recruitment processes.

Gregory Barker: The job description and person specification for the post of permanent secretary of the Department of Energy and Climate Change has not changed.

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) conducts surveys of all of its staff as part of the annual civil service people survey. The survey is carried out by ORC International and administered through a contract owned and managed by the Cabinet Office, with costs shared between all Departments. In 2011 DECC paid £8,948 as its contribution to the civil service people survey. The cost of the 2012 survey has not yet been finalised.
	DECC will place a copy of the result of its most recent civil service people surveys in the Library of the House following publication in early January 2012.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Advantage West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what plans he has to use those properties passed over to the Homes and Communities Agency by Advantage West Midlands since April 2011 for the benefit of the West Midlands economy;
	(2)  what assets held by Advantage West Midlands were passed over to the Housing and Communities Agency after April 2011.

Mark Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 5 December 2012, Official Report, column 766W, and 6 December 2012, Official Report, columns 891-92W.

Audit Commission

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost of transferring some of the responsibilities of the Audit Commission to (a) the National Audit Office and (b) the Financial Reporting Council.

Brandon Lewis: As set out in the impact assessment published alongside the draft Local Audit Bill, the Government consider that the regulatory costs in the new framework will be no greater—and should be less—than those present in the current Audit Commission regime. Based on figures provided by the Audit Commission, we included in the impact assessment total regulatory costs of £4 million per annum in the final years of the residual Audit Commission. In the impact assessment we have split the £4 million equally between the National Audit Office, who will be setting the code of audit practice, and the Financial Reporting Council and professional bodies, who will be regulating and monitoring auditors. We will undertake more detailed work to publish an updated impact assessment alongside introduction of the final Bill.
	The National Audit Office estimates that each value for money study undertaken by them will cost roughly the same as it costs the Audit Commission (approx £300,000 each) and will cost a total of £1.8 million per annum. The new programme of value for money studies will be smaller in number and better targeted than the Audit Commission's has been—resulting in a saving of £3.2 million per year.
	I would add that the programme to end routine inspection and assessment, disband the Audit Commission and introduce a new local audit framework will save £650 million of taxpayers' money over the next five years.

Carbon Monoxide

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have used Decent Homes funding to install carbon monoxide detectors in vulnerable homes.

Don Foster: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Carbon Monoxide

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to help local authorities use Decent Homes funding to tackle the problem of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Don Foster: To meet the decent homes standard a home should be free from serious hazards classified as category 1 under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. The system explicitly addresses hazards resulting from carbon monoxide.
	The Government have allocated £1.6 billion to 45 local authorities, to enable them to bring 127,000 properties up to the decent homes standard by 2015.

Charities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department provided for (a) Action on Addiction, (b) Adoption UK, (c) Adoption and Fostering Information Line, (d) child bereavement charities and (e) Well Child in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: My Department has not provided any funding for the organisations listed above during 2010-11; 2011-12; and, 2012-13.

Council Tax Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in receipt of council tax benefit were (a) single people in employment, (b) a single person not in employment, (c) lone parents in employment, (d) lone parents not in employment, (e) couples without children with at least one person in work, (f) couples without children both in work, (g) couples with children with at least one person in work and (h) couples with children with both adults in work in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The economic status of all council tax benefit (CTB) recipients is not available. Information is available only for those recipients whose claim is not passported. A small proportion of the passported cases will be in part-time employment. Information on partners' employment status is not available.
	The available information is as follows:
	
		
			 Council tax benefit recipients by family type and employment status in GB: August 2012 
			 Family type Total Passported and non-passported, not in employment Non-passported, in employment 
			 All GB recipients 5,922,130 5,130,950 791,180 
			 Single, no child dependant 3,292,790 3,142,660 150,140 
			 Single with child dependant(s) 1,148,080 841,180 306,900 
			 Couple, no child dependant 886,880 826,000 60,890 
		
	
	
		
			 Couple with child dependant(s) 594,380 321,120 273,260 
			 Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at the second Thursday of the month. 3. Council tax benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. An extended payment is a payment that may be received for a further four weeks when they start working full time, work more hours or earn more money. 4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly. 5. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10. 6. Those people receiving council tax benefit in receipt of a non-passported benefit are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable). 7. A small proportion of the passported cases will be in part-time employment. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Empty Property: Barrow and Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty homes there are in Barrow and Furness constituency.

Mark Prisk: Data on empty homes can be found in live table 615 at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
	Data are collected at local authority district level and is not available by parliamentary constituency.

Empty Property: Shops

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of the steps taken to reduce shop vacancy rates in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England.

Mark Prisk: Through the Government's response to the Portas review, published in March, we have set out a number of measures to support high streets in England, including those with high levels of empty shops. Measures include a £5.5 million support package for 27 Portas pilots (including Rotherham in Yorkshire) and over 300 town teams (including Barnsley metropolitan borough council and Wombwell Community Board); a £10 million High Street Innovation Fund for local authorities to tackle empty properties; and a £1 million Future High Street X-Fund to reward the most effective schemes for revitalising high streets. The autumn statement included a further one-year extension to the current temporary increase in small business rate relief, which will provide business rates relief to eligible ratepayers (generally ones that occupy only one property and have a rateable value below £12,000).
	It is a matter for local areas to undertake an assessment of how these and other local actions impact on vacancy rates.

Fire Service College

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration he has given to requiring any bidders for ownership of the Fire Service College (FSC) to reserve places on the management board for serving senior officers and representatives of other ranks; and what discussions he has had with any new owners of the FSC about such a proposal.

Brandon Lewis: The Fire Service college is being sold as a going concern and future engagement with fire and rescue services is an essential part of ensuring it continues to provide excellent training to the sector. Discussions have been held with short-listed bidders during the sale process on the involvement of the Chief Fire Officers Association in the new business and ensuring they have a seat on a new Customer Advisory Board for the college.

Housing: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes were started in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency and (b) Cumbria in each quarter of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: Data on house building by local authority district and related county totals can be found in live table 253 at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
	Data are collected only at local authority district level and is not available by parliamentary constituency.

Housing: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the potential capacity for new housing on brownfield sites, which is currently unconsented for in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency and (b) Cumbria in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nicholas Boles: Data from the 2009 National Land Use Database of Previously-Developed Land return indicate that within Cumbria there were 104 hectares of brownfield land without planning permission or allocation which had the capacity to deliver 2,896 housing units. Within the Barrow-in-Furness local authority boundary the corresponding figures were 1 hectare of brownfield land and 25 housing units. Further information on 2009 data can be found at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/nlud-pdl-results-and-analysis.

Land Use

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of land in England is developed, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nicholas Boles: A survey last year by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (‘Countryside Survey: Final Report—the new UK Land Cover Map’, July 2011) found that 8.9% of land in England was developed (defined as ‘built up and gardens’). This comprehensive report was based on satellite mapping, overlaid on Ordnance Survey maps. This cartography was jointly funded by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Natural Environment Research Council and other state bodies. The final report was published in July 2011. The initial results were published in November 2008, and that document included a foreword by the right hon. Member, in his then capacity as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, praising the “impressive undertaking” for its “hard scientific evidence”.
	I observe that the Campaign to Protect Rural England have disputed the 9% figures. However, their source cited in their press release of 28 November 2012 is ‘Barker Review of Land Use Planning interim report’. This was published in 2006. On closer inspection, this report actually stated that urban areas accounted for 8.3% of land use in England (‘Barker Review of Land Use Planning Interim Report—Analysis’, July 2006, Table 1.1). The final Barker report updated these figures to 8.9%; the Barker source for this was figures provided by Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Ministers on 13 January 2005, Official Report, column 583W. Those figures in turn were based on 2001 Urban Settlement statistics, which for now remain the most recent figures, as they are derived from the last census.
	Chart 2 of the interim Barker report also provided a table on ‘Land use as a percentage of total area’. This was sourced in the report to the Generalised Land Use Database 2001. However, the Generalised Land Use Database 2001 estimated that 9.8% of land in England was developed, and 42% of that developed land was garden space. Notwithstanding, the ‘Countryside Survey’ is more accurate than the experimental Generalised Land Use Database (now discontinued); the latter was essentially based on Ordnance Survey data, where ‘Countryside Survey’ was based on Ordnance Survey data and bespoke satellite mapping.

Local Audit Bill (Draft)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on making specific provision for whistleblowing within the Government's forthcoming Audit Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: In the public consultation on the draft Local Audit Bill, the Department received one response which made reference to whistleblowing. This was from the Newspaper Society and suggested that Government consider the protection of whistleblowers. During pre-legislative scrutiny, the Draft Local Audit Bill Committee asked the Secretary of State whether the Bill would include specific provisions on whistleblowing.
	The protection of whistleblowers and proper procedures for the disclosure of concerns are an important part of exposing malpractice and misconduct. As the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) and I confirmed to the Committee, we intend to amend the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 1999 to preserve the role of local auditors as prescribed persons for whistleblowing. Whistleblowers will continue to be able to go directly to the local auditor to make a relevant disclosure. This is in addition to their ability to make a protected disclosure directly to their employer, as set out in the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Local Audit Bill (Draft)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to place a statutory duty on members of local authority audit committees to uphold the independence of the auditor.

Brandon Lewis: The draft Local Audit Bill does not include a statutory duty on members of local authority audit committees to uphold auditor independence. The Bill requires local bodies to take advice from an independent auditor panel on the appointment of their auditor, and on maintaining an independent relationship with their auditor. It makes clear that auditors will have to be independent of the audited body. There are also specific provisions around auditor independence in the Financial Reporting Council's Ethical Standards for Auditors. Taken together we consider that these measures are sufficient to protect auditor independence. The draft Local Audit Bill Committee has considered independence during the course of pre-legislative scrutiny and we will consider the Committee's report and recommendations carefully before finalising the Bill.

Mortgages

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeowners in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England have mortgages worth more than the values of their homes.

Mark Prisk: The Department does not produce estimates on how many homeowners have mortgages worth more than the values of their homes in Liverpool, Walton constituency, Liverpool and England.
	However, I can refer the hon. Member to the data published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders in October 2012 which showed that the number of borrowers in negative equity in the UK has declined by more than 100,000 (or 13%) since the first quarter of last year, from 827,000 to 719,000.

Public Houses

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on restrictive covenants on public houses; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The Government aim in the new year to respond to its consultation on the use of restrictive covenants by pub companies when putting their pubs up for sale, and whether their use had a negative impact upon communities.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which assets of each former regional development agency remain within the stewardship of the Homes and Communities Agency.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 29 November 2012
	There are 336 individual land and property assets remaining within the stewardship of the Homes and Communities Agency that have not yet been disposed of by the agency. A table showing the breakdown of these assets by former regional development agency and asset name has been placed in the Library of the House.
	This list, which includes assorted pubs, an ice rink, a cinema, a greyhound stadium and even a fish and chip shop, reflects the widespread land-banking by the regional development agencies under the last Administration. This lack of strategic focus did not necessarily make good use of taxpayers' money, and this Administration is seeking to ensure the best rate of return for taxpayers from these residual assets.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much direct funding his Department provided to each voluntary and community organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much such funding he expects to provide in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Don Foster: My Department publishes a list of voluntary and community service organisations that are granted funded under section 70 of the Charities Act each year in its annual report and accounts, which is available on my Department's website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2011-to-2012
	My Department also provides a breakdown of all expenditure over £500 on a quarterly basis as part of our wider transparency agenda. This includes information on all grant payments made to voluntary and community organisations and is also freely available on the website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/dclg-spending-over-250
	We do not yet have information on how much funding we expect to provide to voluntary and community organisations in future years as final decisions on a number of programme budgets have not yet been taken.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Females: Human Rights

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she is taking to ensure that women in the UK are fully aware of their human rights.

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The Human Rights Act 1998, gave further effect to the fundamental rights and freedom contained in the European Convention on Human Rights. The rights in the convention apply to everyone, in the states that have signed the convention.
	Additionally, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women, to which the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a signature, allows women to take complaints directly to the UN if they believe their rights have been violated.
	The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has funded the Women's Resource Centre (WRC) to promote the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Government-funded Equality Advisory Support Service also provides information, advice and support on discrimination and human rights issues to individuals in England, Scotland and Wales.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in her Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: DFID staff are employed on permanent or fixed term civil servant contracts. DFID does not have any full-time equivalent staff employed on consultancy contracts, nor have there been any during the last 12 months.

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the global polio eradication initiative; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has been effective. In the last 20 years polio cases have fallen by more than 99%. As of 28 November 2012 there have been a total of 202 new cases of polio this year compared to 553 at the same time last year. The UK and other donors work closely with GPEI.

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support she is providing to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government are strongly committed to polio eradication. The UK Government have disbursed £40 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in the current 2012-13 financial year. As this is the final year of the current pledge we are now considering our support for future years.

Developing Countries: Property Rights

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to encourage the promotion of property rights in developing countries.

Lynne Featherstone: UKAid is supporting efforts to secure rights to land and property for individuals, businesses and communities in at least eight countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and through our investments in key multilateral organisations.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 November 2012, Official Report, columns 321-22W. As mentioned in my previous written answer, UKAid will support over 6 million people to secure their rights to land and property by 2015. Examples of ongoing projects include supporting rural communities in Mozambique to register their land and helping at least 4 million landholders obtain formal titles in Rwanda. The International Fund for Agricultural Development, to which DFID provides core funding, supports poor people to secure their land rights in about 45 countries.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development who the UK's preferred candidate was to be head of the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Global Fund Board established a rigorous, merit-based process to identify a shortlist of applicants for the post of executive director of the fund. The board was delighted to have four very good candidates. It was a strong field and a difficult choice. At the fund's board meeting on 15 November the UK supported the selection of Dr Mark Dybul to take on the role early next year. Dr Dybul has our full support, and we look forward to working with him.

ICT: Theft

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from her Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Department of International Development's (DFID) central accounting records show the following items have been reported as lost or stolen within the requested period:
	
		
			  Number of items reported lost or stolen 
			  2010-11 2011-12 
			 Laptops 14 17 
			 Mobile telephones 1 3 
			 BlackBerrys — 1 
			 Memory sticks 2 2 
		
	
	No other IT equipment has been lost.
	It is the responsibility of DFID staff to ensure that valuable items of official equipment are adequately protected. If items are lost or stolen, staff must submit a report to Security Section setting out the circumstances leading up to the loss. Follow-up action, including formal disciplinary procedures where required, will be invoked by the line manager.

ICT: Expenditure

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for her Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Lynne Featherstone: The following table breaks down how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for DFID's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Strategy and planning Design and build Hosting and infrastructure Content provision Testing and evaluation 
			 2010-2011 1,880 97,093 138,135 144,382 14,624 
			 2011-2012 0 0 165,145 62,056 28,644 
			 Amount allocated for 2012-13 0 0 155,621 16,800 5,076 
		
	
	Figures for 2010-11 and 2011-12 have been published in the Government internet report which is on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/websitemetrics2010-11

Mali

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues on (a) humanitarian and (b) military interventions in northern Mali.

Lynne Featherstone: The Secretary of State for International Development, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), regularly has meetings with ministerial colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). In these meetings, key topical issues are discussed, including the current situation in northern Mali.

Mali

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department has made a funding commitment for the African Union's Economic Community of West African States plan in northern Mali; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Department for International Development has not made a funding commitment for the African Union's Economic Community of West African States plan in northern Mali.
	The UK Government are considering what support to offer to Mali in addition to the humanitarian support already offered by my Department. In response to the United Nations Secretary-General's report on implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2071, we are considering, with international partners, what further action is necessary and appropriate.

Official Hospitality

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent for hospitality purposes on (a) Champagne, (b) wines, (c) spirits, (d) soft drinks, (e) flowers, (f) laundry, (g) porterage, (h) china, (i) cutlery and (j) venue hire since May 2010.

Alan Duncan: The central finance records of DFID do not enable tracking of expenditure at this level of detail, and this could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development from which (a) programmes, (b) country programmes, (c) bilateral programmes, (d) multilateral funding and (e) other activities the forecast reduction in official development assistance announced in the autumn statement 2012 will come.

Justine Greening: The Department will be assessing how best to achieve the savings announced in the 2012 autumn statement over the coming months.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the proposed reduction in official development assistance from 2013-14 will be implemented in terms of her Department's spending programmes; and what steps she is taking to ensure that this reduction will not diminish the effectiveness and value for money of her Department's aid spending.

Justine Greening: The Department will be assessing how best to achieve the savings announced in the 5 December 2012 autumn statement, Official Report, columns 871-82, in its planning processes over the coming months.
	The Department is constantly assessing its programmes, focusing resources on those that deliver best value, and continuing to strengthen value for money of its activities.

Parking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what contracts for providing car park management services to her Department are held by private companies;
	(2)  what the total value is of contracts between her Department and private companies for car park management services in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) South Lanarkshire local authority area.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have any contracts with private companies for car park management services.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many employees in her Department were paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: The number of employees within DFID who were paid salary in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 in each of the last five years, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of employees paid in excess of £80,000 Number of employees paid in excess of £100,000 
			 2008 18 9 
			 2009 19 9 
			 2010 18 8 
			 2011 14 8 
			 2012 13 7

Rwanda

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what analysis her Department undertook before the decision to suspend UK financial aid to Rwanda; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: My written ministerial statement on 30 November 2012, Official Report, column 38WS, sets out background to the Government's decision not to release £21 million of general Budget support to Rwanda.

Rwanda

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the suspension of financial aid to Rwanda on poverty levels in that country.

Justine Greening: As my written ministerial statement of 30 November 2012, Official Report, column 38WS, explained, I have decided not to release the £21 million general budget support to Rwanda, due to be paid in December 2012. I have instructed my officials to provide advice on options for how the UK can continue to help the poorest in Rwanda.

Rwanda

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with representatives of the Rwandan Government to encourage progress in tackling violence and supporting economic growth in Rwanda after the suspension of UK financial aid to that country.

Justine Greening: As my written ministerial statement of 30 November 2012, Official Report, column 38WS, sets out, the UK wants to continue with our long-term and successful development partnership with Rwanda, and to work with the Government of Rwanda to secure a peaceful resolution to the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
	I and my officials have held discussions with the Rwandan Minister of Finance and Economic Development and a range of Rwandan Government officials about the decision not to release £21 million in General Budget Support to Rwanda due to be paid in December, as well as encouraging progress in resolving the conflict in eastern DRC. These discussions will continue at all levels.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) her Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which she is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) her Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: Between 1 May 2010 and 30 November 2012, 34 senior civil servant (SCS) staff have left DFID. This represents a proportion and turnover rate of 30.9% among SCS employed within DFID during this period.
	There are no SCS staff in our public bodies.

Sudan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department has given to Sudan in each of the last five years.

Lynne Featherstone: Details of the Department for International Development (DFID) aid expenditure in developing countries, including Sudan, are published in Statistics on International Development (SID) which is available in the Library of the House or online at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	The following table outlines the DFID spend on bilateral development and humanitarian programmes in Sudan from 2007 to 2011.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007-08 134,666,000 
			 2008-09 105,787,000 
			 2009-10 145,578,000 
			 2010-11 128,206,000 
		
	
	South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July 2011 and the data above are from pre-secession. DFID's spend on bilateral development and humanitarian programmes for Sudan and South Sudan since secession is reported separately in SID. The following table outlines DFID spend for Sudan for 2011-12.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2011-12 £32,607,000

Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library a copy of the results of her Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Alan Duncan: DFID participates in the annual cross-Government Civil Service People Survey co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office owns and manages the supplier contract with ORC International. DFID will publish its 2012 Civil Service People Survey results on our external website by 31 January 2013. The final costs for 2012 are yet to be determined, but however we anticipate these to be similar to last year's costs of £22,077.

Western Sahara

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she has any plans to visit the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

Alan Duncan: The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has no plans currently to visit the territory of Western Sahara. The Department for International Development has no programme in Western Sahara.

EDUCATION

Academies

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many academies are part of academy chains or federations; and what the name is of each such academy.

Elizabeth Truss: As of 1 November 2012, there are 987 academies in chains.
	The list of these has been placed in the House Libraries.
	When viewing the results it should be noted that:
	Academies can belong to more than one chain. For this reason there are two columns for chain reference number and chain name.
	Some chains currently only have one academy. This is because more schools will be joining the chain at a later date.
	Not every, chain has a name. Unique reference numbers have been allocated to each chain without a name so the schools which are part of that chain can be identified.

Bain and Company

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the details of the tendering process used which resulted in the appointment of Bain and Company to assist his Department in its internal review.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 29 November 2012
	Bain and Company were appointed directly to carry out the work on a pro bono basis. They submitted a proposal for the work which was evaluated and accepted by the Department.

Children in Care

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether any programmes or services affecting looked after children will be reduced as a result of the changes set out in the Department for Education Review, published on 13 November 2012;
	(2)  with reference to the Department for Education Review, published on 13 November 2012, what proportion of the estimated reductions in staffing will be in areas dealing with (a) looked after children, (b) fostering, (c) adoption, (d) residential care homes, (e) care leavers and (f) academies.

Edward Timpson: The DFE review found that we can be both more effective and efficient and as such in 2015-16 we expect our running costs budget to be approximately half that of 2010-11 in real terms.
	The Department is developing its implementation plans and while there will inevitably be reductions in posts across the organisation over the next two years, we are also exploring how we can minimise our non-staff costs. Decisions about which areas of work will see reductions in staffing will be made before the end of the current financial year.
	The DFE review focused on our administration budgets and did not cover programme expenditure. Improving the services and support for looked after children remains one of this Department's highest priorities.

Children in Care

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many local authorities have signed up to the Charter for Care Leavers, published on 30 October 2012.

Edward Timpson: The recently launched Charter for Care Leavers summarises young people's statutory entitlements and makes clear the core expectations, values and intentions around good corporate parenting. The charter was written by young people themselves and is designed to help give looked after children leaving care a voice in how they are supported.
	I now want all local authorities to sign the charter and to discuss with their local children in care council what more they need to do to make it a reality. Eight local authorities have so far responded that they have signed the charter. I will also be attending the signing of the charter by Nottingham county council this week. However, we asked local authorities to discuss its contents with local children in care councils and most of these meetings will be held in the first few months of next year, following which we expect more local authorities to sign up.

Children: Carers

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of people under the age of 18 who act as carers for working aged disabled people.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not collect information on young carers or the people for whom they provide care. Information is collected on numbers of children looked after by local authorities and the numbers of children in need. However, children who are classed as in need or who are looked after as a result of being a young carer cannot be identified from these data collections.
	In 2001, the National Census figures showed that there were 139,000 young carers in England aged under 18. Updated information from the 2011 Census is expected to be available in January 2013.

Children: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what training is provided to teachers on how to ensure that children are protected when they use the internet.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 3 December 2012
	The expectations of teachers are set out in the new Teachers' Standards which include a requirement that teachers demonstrate the need to safeguard pupils' well-being, in accordance with statutory provisions, and create a safe learning environment. The Teachers' Standards inform the content of initial teacher training. We expect schools and heads to ensure their teachers meet these standards through the appraisal process and by supporting any necessary professional development.
	There is no specific requirement for teachers to receive training on ensuring children are protected when they use the internet.

Children's Centres: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Sure Start centres there were in Nottinghamshire in (a) May 2010 and (b) November 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 30 November 2012
	The Sure Start-On database (populated by local authorities) currently shows that Nottinghamshire local authority has 58 Sure Start children’s centres. There has been no change in the number of centres since April 2010.

Education: Research

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on education research in (a) May 2010 and (b) the last financial year for which data are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education spent £4.2 million on research and evaluation in May 2010 and £12.1 million in 2011-12 (the last financial year for which data are available).

Education: Research

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff of his Department conducted research in education in (a) May 2010 and (b) the most recent month for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education contracts out its research to a range of suppliers, including universities and social research companies. These research projects are then managed by departmental staff. In May 2010, 89 of my Department's staff were managing research and evaluation projects as a part of their job. In November 2012 (the most recent month for which figures are available), 34 of my Department's staff were managing research and evaluation projects as a part of their job. Only a proportion of their time is involved in managing research and evaluation projects.

Environmental Protection: Curriculum

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the recommendation of the National Curriculum Review expert panel that environmental stewardship be introduced as one of the five main aims of the school curriculum; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to include environmental stewardship in any future curriculum guidance issued as part of the English Baccalaureate reforms.

Elizabeth Truss: As part of the Government's response to the expert panel's report, the Secretary of State confirmed in June that we would seek to define the aims of the National Curriculum in consultation with the teaching profession. We intend to consult formally on the draft aims as part of the wider public consultation on the National Curriculum which will take place next year.
	It is important to distinguish between the statutory National Curriculum and the wider school curriculum. The school curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that each school plans for its pupils. The Government is clear that it is for schools and teachers to develop a broad and balanced school curriculum which meets the needs of all pupils. We expect teachers to consider tackling issues of social and environmental importance, including environmental stewardship, as part of the wider school curriculum.
	We therefore want schools to make their own judgments on how sustainable development should be reflected in their ethos, day-to-day operations and school curriculum. To support schools, the Department published non-statutory guidance on practical ways for schools to become more sustainable in February this year. The guidance can be found here:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/schoolethos/a0070736/what-is-sustainable-development
	There are no plans to issue further guidance as part of Key Stage 4 qualification reform.

Financial Services: Education

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2012, Official Report, columns 14-15, to the hon. Member for North Swindon (Justin Tomlinson), on mathematics teaching, whether his Department has any plans to introduce financial education lessons as part of the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The National Curriculum will raise expectations in relation to mathematics, including financial mathematics, through a renewed emphasis on arithmetic from early primary onwards. This will enable young people to leave school with the numeracy skills needed to manage their own personal finances.
	Finance education can also be taught as part of non-statutory Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. Pupils can be taught about basic money management; financial risk and reward; and the place and importance of financial skills in their later lives.
	The Government will be consulting on the new National Curriculum in the new year.

Foster Care: Housing Benefit

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that directors of children's services are aware of the availability of discretionary housing payments to assist foster carers.

Edward Timpson: The discretionary housing payment (DHP) fund, administered by local authorities, will be increased by £5 million a year from April 2013. This will enable authorities to compensate foster carers whose housing benefit is subject to a restriction as a result of the size criteria measure being introduced for working age claimants living in the social rented sector.
	The Department for Work and Pension's DHP guidance manual for local authorities is being revised. It will make clear the expectation that this additional funding will be prioritised for foster carers whose housing benefit is reduced as a result of this change because of a bedroom being used by, or kept free for, foster children.
	I am meeting the Minister with responsibility for Welfare reform early in the new year to discuss what more needs to be done to ensure that local authority chief executives, directors of children's services and local housing authorities are aware that funds are available to assist foster cares, and to encourage them to use this support as effectively as possible to help meet their responsibility as corporate parents to see that vulnerable looked after children have access to loving, stable homes.

Free Schools

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education of the free schools originally scheduled to open in September 2012 how many (a) will and (b) will not open on that date; what the capital and set-up costs are for each school; how many pupils are enrolled at each school; what the reasons are for any schools not opening in September 2012; and what due diligence was carried out on those projects prior to receiving ministerial approval.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 6 September 2012
	No free school is formally scheduled to open on a given date until the academy trust enters into a funding agreement with the Secretary of State. This year, 55 free schools entered into a funding agreement and subsequently opened in September. This included the first special, alternative provision and 16-19 free schools. In total, there are now 79 free schools across the country. A further 113 projects aim to open schools in 2013 and beyond.
	We are satisfied that every open free school offers value for money in terms of both capital and set-up costs and they are very popular with parents: all 24 free schools that opened last year have filled, or almost filled, all their places for this year.
	All the free schools that opened this September satisfied us they had sufficient numbers of pupils to be financially viable and to be able to offer a rich and varied curriculum.
	We know that setting up a brand new school can be challenging and departmental officials work closely with the projects to ensure that schools open as quickly as possible and are viable at opening and beyond. Where this appears not to be the case, then a funding agreement will not be entered into.
	Every application to open a free school is scrutinised rigorously and the Secretary of State approves only those proposals that demonstrate a strong education vision and ethos, a broad and balanced curriculum, demand for a school of the type proposed and a sound financial plan.

Grandparents: Custody

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what rights grandparents have to access grandchildren.

Edward Timpson: While there is no automatic right for grandparents to have contact with their grandchildren, grandparents may apply for contact through the courts. The court will take into account all the circumstances of each individual case and will make a contact order if it decides that it is in the child's best interests to have contact with the applicant. The Children Act 1989 requires that the court's paramount consideration must be the welfare of the child when making decisions.
	The Family Justice Review panel did not recommend changing the law with regard to grandparents and child contact. The panel found that grandparents are unlikely to lose contact with a grandchild if they had meaningful contact while the child's parents were still in a relationship, and if they resist taking sides after the separation. The Government accepted the panel's conclusions and recommendations in this area.
	The Government intend to bring forward legislation and a number of non-legislative measures to support separating families to resolve their disputes outside of court where appropriate and to reinforce the importance of ongoing relationships with both parents as well as their wider family, including grandparents. For example, children's relationships with family members who are important to them will feature prominently in the creation of parenting agreements and parenting programmes.

Sex Education: Marriage

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what advice his Department has received on changes to the way sex education might be taught following the legalisation of gay marriage in England and Wales.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department is working with the Government Equalities Office to examine the impact of equal civil marriage on education policy. We will continue to monitor the situation as these proposals are developed.

History: Teachers

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many mainstream maintained schools there are without a specialist history teacher.

Elizabeth Truss: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The overall number of history teachers is available for secondary schools only and is published in the School Workforce in England Statistical First Release, November 2011. This is available at the following web link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/statistics-by-topic/teachersandschoolworkforce/a00205723/school-workforce-in-england-provisional-nov-2011
	Table 13 of the publication provides a breakdown of the number of teachers teaching history by the level of qualification in the subject held by the teachers teaching it.
	These published figures are based on a large sample of secondary schools and weighted to national totals. Therefore, because we do not have information for all schools it is not possible to provide an accurate assessment of the number of secondary schools that do not have a specialist history teacher.

Consultation: Internet

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will reinstate reports on departmental consultations on the Department's website.

Elizabeth Truss: The online consultation function on the Department's website has been offline since 28 June 2012 to enable investigation and repair of a fault. An interim solution has been in place since then to help users to respond to current consultations and access reports on previous consultations. The remedial work is now in the final security testing phase and it is expected that the system, including reports on departmental consultations, will be restored for users to access online early in the new year.

Languages: Education

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how his Department plans to encourage the study of foreign languages by school pupils.

Elizabeth Truss: We are encouraging the study of foreign languages in a number of ways. We have made a modern or ancient language part of the English baccalaureate. A survey to assess the effects of the English baccalaureate on secondary schools in England, undertaken this summer for the Department, showed that an estimated 54% of pupils entering GCSEs in 2014 in the schools surveyed are expected to take a language. This shows that entry rates have gone up by eleven percentage points compared with 2010 before the EBacc indicator was introduced. We believe that an early start to language learning will benefit pupils' education in secondary school and have confirmed, subject to parliamentary approval, our decision that a foreign language will be statutory at Key Stage 2 from 2014 as part of the new national curriculum.

Media Ownership

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which newspaper and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives he has met since 1 July 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 6 November 2012
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has met with the following media executives since 1 July 2012:
	
		
			 Month Name Organisation 
			 July Ann McElvoy The Economist 
			 July Louise Roger TES 
			 August David Wooding The Sun 
			 October Gary O'Donoghue and Vicki Young BBC 
			 October John Micklethwait, Joel Budd and James Astill The Economist 
		
	
	This does not include media executives who may have been in attendance at lunches or events also attended by the Secretary of State.

Olympic Games 2012

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to safeguard the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics in the policy areas for which he is responsible; and what budget his Department has allocated for that purpose.

Edward Timpson: We are fully committed to ensuring a lasting legacy from the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Central to this is our determination to put competitive sport firmly on the agenda in all schools, for all pupils.
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), is considering a range of measures to improve school sport provision and will make an announcement in due course.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many employees of his Department were paid (a) between £80,000 and £100,000 and (b) in excess of £100,000 per year in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: Information on the pay bill can be found in the Department's annual accounts which are published online at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/menu/browseDocuments.htm
	or via the Department’s website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/reports/a00390/annual-departmental-reports-accounts-and-spending-reviews
	In addition, as part of this Government's transparency programme, further detailed information is published online, including information on staffing numbers, pay for senior officials and departmental organograms, at:
	http://data.gov.uk/

Private Education: Special Educational Needs

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will develop a legal definition of independent special schools distinct from independent mainstream schools.

Edward Timpson: The legal definition of an independent school includes schools that make provision for mainstream pupils, as well as those that are specially organised to cater for pupils with special educational needs. The Department will, of course, consider representations made on the issue of a separate legal definition of an independent special school, as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft SEN provisions in the Children and Families Bill.

Pupil Exclusions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of 
	(1)  secondary school pupils were given a (a) permanent and (b) fixed-term exclusion in each local authority in each year since 2010, by reason for exclusion;
	(2)  primary school pupils were given a (a) permanent and (b) fixed-term exclusion in each local authority in each year since 2010, by reason for exclusion.

Elizabeth Truss: The latest available information, for 2010/11, has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Data on exclusions in 2010/11 are published in the “Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2010/11” Statistical First Release on 25 July 2012 at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001080/index.shtml

Pupil Exclusions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children in each local authority who were permanently excluded from school were found places in (a) another mainstream school, (b) a special school and (c) a pupil referral unit in each of the last five years for which figures are available

Elizabeth Truss: Information on where pupils are placed following an exclusion is not collected centrally.
	The latest data on exclusions, by local authority, were published in the "Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2010/11" Statistical First Release on 25 July 2012 at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001080/index.shtml

Pupil Exclusions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research he has commissioned into why children in receipt of free school meals are disproportionately represented amongst pupils permanently excluded from school; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: The Department has not commissioned specific research into this matter. The Government are however conducting a major trial of a new approach to exclusion, which encourages early intervention and gives schools increased responsibility for excluded pupils and those at risk of exclusion. An independent evaluation of the trial will look in detail at the impact of the trial approach on pupils vulnerable to exclusion, including those entitled to free school meals.
	Disadvantage is associated with a range of negative educational outcomes. In 2010/11, pupils eligible for free school meals accounted for over 40% of permanent exclusions and almost 40% of fixed period exclusions. Through the Pupil Premium, the Government are investing £1.25 billion in 2012-13 rising to £1.875 billion in 2013-14, to enable schools to support their disadvantaged pupils. Head teachers can use this funding to tackle underlying issues that could increase the risk of exclusion and can, where appropriate, use the additional resource to support specific early intervention to address pupils' behavioural needs.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much pupil premium funding was received in (a) Cambridgeshire and (b) Bedfordshire in 2011-12; and how many pupils received that funding.

David Laws: In 2011-12 Cambridgeshire received £4.152 million in pupil premium for 9,020 pupils. In 2012-13 this has increased to £8.498 million for 14,180 pupils. Central Bedfordshire received £1.695 million in pupil premium for 3,690 pupils in 2011-12. In 2012-13 this has increased to £3.686 million for 6,150 pupils.

Pupils: Smoking

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will estimate the incidence of underage smoking on school premises in each of the last three school years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether his Department provides funding for anti-smoking initiatives in schools;
	(3)  what his Department is doing to (a) identify, (b) prevent and (c) raise awareness of the dangers of underage smoking on school premises; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will estimate the (a) number and (b) proportion of school-age children in (i) Lancashire, (ii) the North West and (iii) the UK who smoke.

Elizabeth Truss: How schools choose to address issues regarding smoking is a local decision and the Department for Education does not provide specific funding for anti-smoking initiatives. Pupils are taught about the effects of tobacco on health as part of the national curriculum for science. In addition, teachers can cover the facts about, and consequences of, smoking in non-statutory personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.
	The 2011 “Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England” survey found that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds had smoked at least once, the lowest proportion since the survey began in 1982. In 2011, 5% of pupils smoked at least one cigarette a week, half the level of 2001.
	Regional data for the incidence of smoking for pupils in Lancashire are not available. However, data for the North West region is available from the above survey programme. 5% of pupils in the North West smoked at least one cigarette a week in 2011. The Department does not collect statistics on the incidence of smoking on school premises.

School Meals

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funds his Department has allocated for implementation of the School Food Plan report's recommendations.

Elizabeth Truss: The reviewers on the School Food Plan are due to present their findings in 2013. Until they report, we are unable to estimate how much funding any recommendations may require.
	The independent reviewers have been given complete freedom to make recommendations they believe will improve school food. We will consider those recommendations carefully.

School Milk

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of state schools participated in the school milk scheme in each of the last 10 financial years.

Elizabeth Truss: The EU school milk subsidy scheme is operated by the Rural Payments Agency on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
	The scheme is consumption driven and claims are often made by local authorities or third parties acting on behalf of schools. There is no requirement to record the number and proportion of state schools participating in the EU subsidy scheme or the national top-up.
	A recent DEFRA review suggested that based on 2009/10 scheme data approximately one in eight primary school children participated in the scheme.

Schools

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools offer all-through provision to pupils from reception to year thirteen.

Elizabeth Truss: There are currently 68 schools that offer all-through provision made up of the following types of school:
	
		
			 School type Number of schools 
			 Academies 52 
			 Free Schools 6 
			 Local Authority Maintained 10 
			 Notes: 1. The data has been sourced from EduBase2 (the Department's database of educational establishments) and is based on information that has been reported to the Department and which is subject to change over time. 2. Establishments are subject to change due to amendments to statutory instrument. Source: EduBase2 
		
	
	All through provision has been defined as a school with provision for pupils aged under five and over 16 in addition to provision for the compulsory phase.
	A list of these schools and their local authority area has been placed in the House Libraries.

Schools: Food

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what monitoring his Department plans to undertake of usage of and visits to the School Food Plan website.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education track all content on the DFE website, and has access to the usage of the School Food Plan site and the number of visitors. These figures will be monitored at key points in the development of the Plan.

Schools: Food

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) civil servants and (b) external consultants in his Department are currently employed on the School Food Plan.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education currently employs the equivalent of 5.05 full-time civil servants on the School Food Plan, at a range of grades. This team reports to a senior civil servant responsible for curriculum policy. In addition the team will, from time to time, draw on advice from other teams in the Department. It is not possible to give an accurate figure for this. Also supporting the School Food Plan is a team of external consultants. These have been engaged directly by the independent reviewers with support from charitable trusts. They are not employed or paid by the Department in any way.

Schools: Uniforms

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of school age pupils who receive financial assistance to help towards the cost of school uniforms.

David Laws: The Department has made no estimate of the proportion of school age pupils who receive financial assistance to help towards the cost of school uniforms. The School Admissions Code places a statutory duty on all governing bodies to ensure that their policies and practices, including their uniforms, do not disadvantage any children. In deciding the design of its school uniform, the Department expects the school governing body to give high priority to cost considerations. No school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling unable to apply to, or attend a school of their choice, due to the cost of the uniform. Local authorities have a discretionary power to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship.

Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the appointment of the members of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission will be complete; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: Alan Milburn and Neil O'Brien were formally appointed as Chair and Deputy Chair of the Commission on 16 July 2012. The Welsh Government announced the appointment of Catriona Williams to represent Wales on 19 September. The Scottish Government have recently appointed a member to represent Scotland.
	With the appointment of the Chair, Deputy Chair and Welsh and Scottish Members, the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission is now quorate. We are intending to appoint and announce further members to the Commission within the next few weeks.

Special Educational Needs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2012, Official Report, column 449W, on special educational needs, how much funding will be transferred in 2013 from the Education Funding Agency to local authorities to administer the education of young people aged 16 to 25 with a disability or learning difficulty.

Edward Timpson: In August 2012 the EFA wrote to local authorities advising them of their indicative budgets for the 2013-14 financial year, as a basis on which to plan. The total indicative budget to transfer was £175 million.
	The financial year 2013-14 is transitional because some relevant costs falling in the 2012-13 academic year will be met from other budgets and are not therefore included in this transfer. The final budgets have yet to be calculated and will be issued to local authorities in December this year.
	Local authorities already commission placements for these students. There is no additional transfer specifically to fund local authority administration, but the rules governing the use of the Dedicated Schools Grant allow it to be spent on associated administrative costs and overheads.

Special Educational Needs

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has made an assessment of the findings of the report by Scope entitled Keep us close; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Government published draft legislative provisions for special educational needs in September 2012, including proposals for local authorities in England to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with special educational needs, including those who are disabled. The local offer would enable families to see readily what they can expect from mainstream services across education, health and social care; how to access more specialist support; and how decisions are made and how to complain or appeal. The Education Select Committee is undertaking pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft provisions and will be taking account of evidence submitted by a wide range of organisations, include Scope. The Government will consider the Committee's findings carefully before introducing legislation to Parliament.

Special Educational Needs

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that there is strong local accountability for services provided under the local offer.

Edward Timpson: The draft legislation, ‘Reform of provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs' published in September 2012, sets out proposals for England requiring local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with special educational needs. The local offer would set out what families can expect from local services across education, health and social care and the eligibility criteria for accessing those services where appropriate. Local authorities would be required to involve local children, young people and families in developing their local offer to take account of their needs and aspirations. Each service would be accountable for delivering what is set out in the local offer and if families are unhappy with what they receive or what is available they would be able to take this up with those services. The local offer would give details of how to complain about provision and about rights of appeal.
	The draft special educational needs provisions are being scrutinised by the Education Select Committee. The Government will give careful consideration to the Committee's report when framing the legislation for introduction to Parliament.

Assault by Pupils

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many recorded incidents of 
	(1)  secondary school teachers being assaulted by pupils there were in each local authority in each year since 2005, by type of school;
	(2)  primary school teachers being assaulted by pupils there were in each local authority in each year since 2005, by type of school.

Elizabeth Truss: Information is not available in the form requested.
	The Department collects information on the reasons pupils are excluded from school. This includes data on exclusions classified as relating to physical assault, verbal abuse or threatening behaviour against an adult, but not specifically against teachers or school staff.
	Information on the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions classified as relating to physical assault against an adult for 2006/07, 2008/09 and 2010/11 (the latest year available) has been placed in the House Libraries. The provision of further data would incur disproportionate cost.
	Any violence against school staff is totally unacceptable. It is for head teachers to consider whether a particular case warrants a pupil being given a fixed-period exclusion, a permanent exclusion or other disciplinary penalty, taking account of the severity and circumstances of the assault.
	The latest available data on exclusions were published in the Statistical First Release ‘Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2010/11' on 25 July 2012 at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001080/index.shtml

Teachers: Dismissal

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers have been dismissed following allegations of child abuse in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold data on the number of teachers who have been dismissed following allegations of child abuse in the Barnsley Central constituency, South Yorkshire or Wales.
	In 2011 the Department commissioned research into the scale and nature of allegations of abuse made against school teachers, non-teaching staff in schools and further education (FE) teachers which had been referred to local authorities in England. In the period from 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010, the research identified 2,631 concluded investigations of abuse against school teachers. In 152 (6%) concluded investigations, teachers were dismissed as a result of the allegation made against them. The research also identified 97 concluded investigations against FE college teachers with 20 (21%) dismissed as a result of the allegation made against them.

Teachers: Males

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which secondary schools which were not girls' schools had less than 10% qualified full-time male teachers in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: In November 2011 there were five publicly-funded secondary schools (excluding all girls' secondary schools), that had less than 10% qualified full-time male teachers. These are as follows:
	
		
			 Establishment Local authority area 
			 The Bourne Academy Bournemouth 
			 Bilbrook C of E (C) Middle School Staffordshire 
			 Hartford High School—A specialist languages and sports college Cheshire West and Chester 
			 Bedlingtonshire Junior High School Northumberland 
			 St Peter's RC Middle School Northumberland 
		
	
	This information is from the School Workforce Census, the Department's main source of data on school staff, and includes three middle deemed secondary schools.

Teachers: Veterans

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made on recruiting former members of the armed forces into the teaching profession.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 3 December 2012
	The Teaching Agency began logging the numbers of applications to initial teaching training from service leavers in March 2011. Between March 2011 and October 2012, 254 service leavers applied to ITT, of which 132 have been accepted. This figure will rise as more ITT providers confirm their acceptances. The rate of acceptances for service leavers is therefore slightly more favourable than in the wider recruitment picture.
	For academic year 2012/13, additional places on the Graduate Teacher Programme were available exclusively to service leavers, and 19 service leavers have taken up the offer.
	We recently invited proposals to deliver the new Troops to Teachers programme. We will appoint a consortium of schools and training providers in January, with a view to the programme beginning next year.

Truancy

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the powers available to schools to deal with parents who regularly keep their children out of school for prolonged periods; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 3 December 2012
	In 2011, the then Government expert adviser on behaviour, Charlie Taylor, conducted a review into improving school attendance, and the effectiveness of sanctions to address poor attendance. The report was published on 16 April 2012. The Government accepted the majority of Charlie Taylor's recommendations in full, and are in the process of implementing them. The Government agreed with Charlie Taylor that the penalty notice regime needed reforming to be swift and certain, and are considering his recommendation to recoup unpaid fines from child benefit. The report can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour

Young People: Unemployment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who have left full-time education at 16 years old and have been unemployed for more than 12 months.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who have left full-time education at 16 years old and have been unemployed for more than 12 months. 132233
	Estimates are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) of those people who are currently unemployed and who reported that they had finished their continuous full-time education at age 16.
	For the three month period July to September 2012, the estimated number of people who left full time education aged 16 and were unemployed for more than 12 months is 399,000. This includes people of all ages and includes people who have worked previously but have been unemployed for more than 12 months up to the period in question.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. The true value of the estimate for all people aged 16 and over lies between 361,000 and 437,000.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Lords Lieutenants

Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 86W, on lords lieutenant, what the annual running costs of the office of the clerk to the lord lieutenant of County Durham was in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: The question is unclear. General running costs for the office of the lord lieutenant in each of the last five years, is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Annual running costs (£) 
			 2007-08 9,070.00 
			 2008-09 5,335.00 
			 2009-10 3,986.00 
			 2010-11 4,006.00 
			 2011-12 4,226.00

Trident

Julian Huppert: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects the Trident Alternatives Review to be completed.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	The review will report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the first half of 2013.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under 18 years of age in each (a) socio-economic, (b) ethnic and (c) gender group were admitted to hospital with suspected alcohol-induced conditions in (i) 2012 to date and (ii) each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: The following tables contain estimates of the number of hospital admissions for those aged 17 and under with suspected alcohol-induced conditions split by economic group, ethnicity and gender for the years 2009-10 to 2011-12 and April to July 2012. It should be noted that data from April 2012 are provisional.
	These numbers provide an estimate based on the proportion of diseases and injuries that can be wholly or partially attributed to alcohol, rather than a count of episodes with an alcohol related diagnosis or cause code.
	The attributable fractions are not applicable to children under 16. Therefore figures for this age group relate only to wholly-attributable admissions, where the attributable fraction is one.
	It should be noted that these data should not be described as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion.
	
		
			 Count of wholly attributable and partially attributable alcohol related admissions(1) for people aged 17 and under, split by (a) socio-economic group(2), (b) ethnicity(3), and (c) gender for the years 2009-10 to 2011-12 and April to July 2012(4,5): Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 Socio-economic group 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Provisional April 2012 to July 2012 
			 Least deprived 10% 778 754 710 232 
			 Less deprived 10 to 20% 892 843 795 269 
			 Less deprived 20 to 30% 903 894 869 258 
			 Less deprived 30 to 40% 958 916 885 301 
			 Less deprived 40 to 50% 1,037 986 984 327 
			 More deprived 40 to 50% 1,197 1,172 1,072 334 
			 More deprived 30 to 40% 1,346 1,325 1,171 321 
			 More deprived 20 to 30% 1,595 1,468 1,349 419 
			 More deprived 10 to 20% 1,852 1,669 1,583 439 
			 Most deprived 10% 2,126 2,165 1,784 534 
			 Unknown 147 139 102 36 
		
	
	
		
			 Ethnic group 
			   2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Provisional April 2012 to July 2012 
			 A British (White) 10,103 9,645 8,868 2,723 
			 B Irish (White) 24 27 35 6 
			 C Any other White background 282 283 265 81 
			 D White and Black Caribbean (Mixed) 62 74 72 28 
			 E White and Black African (Mixed) 14 16 13 8 
			 F White and Asian (Mixed) 39 39 25 12 
			 G Any other Mixed background 76 77 103 26 
			 H Indian (Asian or Asian British) 95 105 105 39 
			 J Pakistani (Asian or Asian British) 159 161 158 48 
			 K Bangladeshi (Asian or Asian British) 53 62 62 14 
			 L Any other Asian background 90 96 113 28 
			 M Caribbean (Black or Black British) 80 87 78 30 
			 N African (Black or Black British) 102 119 121 42 
			 P Any other Black background 102 116 104 34 
			 R Chinese (other ethnic group) 16 16 20 5 
			 S Any other ethnic group 211 225 195 74 
			 X Not known 313 285 249 68 
			 Z Not stated 1,009 901 720 201 
		
	
	
		
			 Gender 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Provisional April 2012 to July 2012 
			 Male 5,838 5,563 5,089 1,499 
		
	
	
		
			 Female 6,993 6,769 6,217 1,968 
			 (1) Alcohol-related admissions The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO), which uses 48 indicators for alcohol-related illnesses, determining the proportion of a wide range of diseases and injuries that can be partly attributed to alcohol as well as those that are, by definition, wholly attributable to alcohol. Further information on these proportions can be found at: http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/publications/AlcoholAttributableFractions.pdf The application of the NWPHO methodology has recently been updated and is now available directly from HES. As such, information about episodes estimated to be alcohol related may be slightly different from previously published data. (2) Socio-economic group The socio-economic group used is derived from the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). IMD is a measure of multiple deprivation which ranks the relative deprivation of each area of England in a number domains (such as crime and income) and then combines the individual scores to produce a composite score for each area. The patient's residential postcode is then mapped to one of these areas, and summarised into 10 groups for presentation. The version of IMD used is appropriate to the years published, 2009-10 data use IMD the 2007 version, while later years use the 2010 version. For further details see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-indices-of-deprivation-2010 (3) Ethnicity Ethnicity data may not be good enough to allow accurate analysis, including analysis of ethnic differences. Ethnic group was collected from 1 April 1995 to 31 March 2002 and Ethnic category, using the definitions in the 2001 census, from 1 April 2002. Patients are asked to select their category from a standard list, and some decline to do this. Data may therefore be incomplete and of poor quality. (4) Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. (5) Provisional data The data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, i.e. November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not vet been investigated and corrected. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Brain: Tumours

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department plans to have spent on research into treatment for secondary brain tumours between May 2010 and May 2015.

Daniel Poulter: Expenditure by the Department on brain cancer research through research programmes, research centres and units, and research training awards is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 0.9 
			 2011-12 0.7 
		
	
	Some of this research has relevance to treatment for secondary brain tumours, and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre has supported recent research on molecular magnetic resonance imaging to enable early and sensitive detection of brain metastases.
	In addition, the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) is currently hosting 25 trials and other well-designed studies in cancers of the brain and nervous system that are in set-up or recruiting patients. Details can be found on the UK CRN portfolio database at:
	http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search
	Data for spend on brain cancer research through the CRN cannot be disaggregated from total CRN expenditure.
	Expenditure in the next three years on research into treatment for secondary brain tumours will depend on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The usual practice of the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including brain cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made.

Care Quality Commission

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times the Care Quality Commission has taken enforcement action in the last six months.

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission has provided the information in the table, which shows the number of enforcement actions taken in the last six months since 1 June 2012.
	
		
			 Type of enforcement action How many times used in the last six months 
			 Civil enforcement powers  
			 Warning notices 404 
			 Imposition/variation/removal of a condition against a regulated activity 10 
			 Urgent imposition/variation/removal of a condition 5 
			 Suspension/cancellation of registration 19 
			 Urgent suspension/cancellation of registration 2 
			   
			 Criminal enforcement powers  
			 Fixed penalty notice 1 
			 Simple caution 0 
			 Prosecution 0 
		
	
	The information refers to enforcement actions undertaken during this period, which may still be ongoing and subject to challenge by providers. The figures may therefore be subject to change.
	The number of actions outlined in the table does not equate to the number of providers, as multiple actions may have been taken against a single provider.

Care Quality Commission

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of the Care Quality Commission in (a) England, (b) the Greater Bristol area and (c) Bristol North West constituency.

Norman Lamb: At national level, the Department undertook a Performance and Capability Review of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in late 2011 and published the findings of the review in February 2012. This found that the CQC had made significant progress over the previous nine months by concentrating on its core purpose, to protect patients by focusing on essential standards. However, the Department recommended that the CQC needed a stronger strategy, setting out more clearly on how they carry out their functions and how they will measure success.
	The CQC has since strengthened its operations and completed a public consultation on 6 December 2012 about its future strategy. The CQC intends to publish the results of this consultation in spring 2013.
	The Department does not assess the efficacy of CQC at a city wide or constituency level. However, on l April 2012, the CQC moved to a new, four region structure. The four regions, South, London, Central and North, align with the structure of the NHS Commissioning Board and are each led by an operations director. One of the main South region offices is in Bristol.
	On 29 November 2012 the CQC launched an e-mail alert service, along with a range of other digital improvements to improve accessibility to their reports and reviews. The e-mail alert service will allow people to sign up for the most up-to-date standards and quality reports about care providers across England. The alerts will provide direct, timely and reliable access to the CQC activity about health and social care providers. The alerts service will continue to be developed and expanded to enable all users to tailor their subscription by all types of services (hospitals, care homes, dentists and other services) as well as by geographical area, local authority or parliamentary constituency.
	The CQC has supplied the following information on compliance action in the Bristol Area from 1 April 2012 to 6 December 2012:
	There are currently 442 locations registered with the commission which fall under the remit of the CQCs Bristol compliance team.
	The team has carried out 239 inspections of 203 different locations so far this year. Of the 239 inspections 191 have been completed and published.
	Of these inspections that have been published the team has issued 134 compliance actions and 12 warning notices.
	The CQC's legal service department have advised that the CQC has not carried out any urgent enforcement activity using sections 30 and 31 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 within the Bristol area since 1 April 2012.

Charities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department provided for (a) Action on Addiction, (b) Adoption UK, (c) Adoption and Fostering Information Line, (d) child bereavement charities and (e) Well Child in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made the following payments to the Child Bereavement Charity and Well Child.
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Total 
			 Child Bereavement Charity 39,990 0 127,384 167,284 
			 Well Child 8,690 0 0 8,690 
		
	
	The Department has made no payments to Action on Addiction, Adoption UK, Adoption and Fostering Line in the financial years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
	It should be noted that funding for 2012-13 represents the latest allocations and additional funding could be allocated in the remaining months of the financial year.

Dental Services: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of dentists in each county in the East of England undertook NHS work in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not collect data on the total number of practising dentists in each county in the east of England and subsequently cannot calculate the proportion of dentists in each county who undertake national health service work.
	However, the Department does collect data on both NHS Hospital and Community Health Service dentists (working in hospitals) and high street dentists who have provided NHS work within each primary care trust (PCT) within the east of England for each of the last five years. This information is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table 1: Hospital and Community Health Services: dental staff within East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) by organisation (as at 30 September each year): 
			 Headcount 
			 Organisation 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 South East Essex PCT 2 3 2 2 4 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 34 38 34 32 25 
			 Peterborough PCT 6 6 8 5 5 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 18 16 21 1 1 
			 Norfolk PCT 20 19 19 21 3 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waverney PCT — — — — 1 
			 Suffolk PCT 8 13 10 11 13 
			 West Essex PCT 3 4 4 4 4 
			 North East Essex PCT 4 3 3 3 3 
			 Mid Essex PCT 5 6 5 4 4 
			 South West Essex PCT 7 6 6 1 1 
			 Hertfordshire PCT 16 14 14 18 1 
			 Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 11 14 12 11 8 
			 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 6 1 5 5 6 
		
	
	
		
			 Litton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 30 30 28 24 24 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust. 8 8 8 8 8 
			 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 6 8 7 5 4 
			 Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust 3 3 3 2 2 
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 13 14 16 13 18 
			 James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 11 14 14 14 12 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 17 18 14 17 16 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 6 4 3 2 2 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 19 19 18 18 18 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 19 26 21 21 23 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 6 7 11 8 7 
			 Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 9 8 6 8 9 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 5 5 5 8 8 
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust — 7 8 7 8 
			 Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust — — — — 15 
			 Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust — — — — 14 
			 Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust — — — 24 23 
			 East of England SHA 292 314 305 294 287 
			 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Census 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Primary care (high street) dentists with NHS activity in East of England SHA, 2008-2012 (in the specified years ending 31 March) 
			 Organisation 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 208 224 242 263 249 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 235 259 301 322 331 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 318 338 354 — — 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 94 105 117 120 129 
			 Hertfordshire PCT — — — 722 715 
			 Luton PCT 74 80 86 90 88 
			 Mid Essex PCT 146 144 163 162 167 
			 Norfolk PCT 298 310 330 345 350 
			 North East Essex PCT 121 123 135 141 144 
			 Peterborough PCT 95 84 94 104 88 
			 South East Essex PCT 138 136 142 155 160 
			 South West Essex PCT 162 177 188 198 183 
			 Suffolk PCT 254 265 289 312 315 
			 West Essex PCT 118 122 122 126 116 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 317 330 347 — — 
			 East of England SHA 2,411 2,472 2,612 2,744 2,756 
			 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre NHS Dental Services of the NHS Business Services Authority

Dental Services: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of dentists in each county in the East of England are taking on new NHS patients.

Daniel Poulter: Information on dental practices currently taking on new national health service patients is not collected centrally.
	My hon. Friend may wish to approach both NHS Direct and local primary care trusts who may hold some relevant information.

Drugs: Industry

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to promote transparency within the pharmaceutical industry.

Norman Lamb: We are clear that there needs to be more transparency in clinical trials data and we are committed to ensuring that happens. The Government support the work of the European Medicine Agency on this matter and there will be a legal requirement to publish summary reports from clinical trials from next year.

General Practitioners: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP appointments were missed by patients in each primary care trust area in the East of England in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Health Services: Cold Weather

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of the Spread the Warmth campaign by Age UK when developing policy to protect those at risk from cold weather in winter 2012-13;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to protect elderly people from illness or death as a result of cold weather in winter 2012-13;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the adequacy of public health provision for dealing with illness or death as a result of cold weather in winter 2012-13.

Anna Soubry: The first ever national Cold Weather Plan for England was published in November 2011. It was part of a range of measures the Department has taken to support the national health service in preparing for winter, and to prevent excess winter deaths. The 2012 Cold Weather Plan was published on 26 October 2012.
	The plan set out a series of clear actions to minimise the health impact of severe winter weather to be taken by the NHS, social care and other public agencies and advice for people who interact with those most at risk from cold weather.
	The Department continually examines all policies and looks at the effectiveness and success of the Cold Weather Plan, including the Warm Homes Healthy People fund, as part of that process. A series of evaluations were used to inform the plan and the Warm Homes Healthy People fund for this coming winter.
	The Department of Health Policy Research Programme has commissioned an independent evaluation of the implementation and health related impacts of the plan by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This study is scheduled to run from autumn 2012 to autumn 2013 and should support the future development of the Cold Weather Plan. A referral to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce public health guidance on the reduction of excess winter deaths was also made earlier this year, and it is anticipated that NICE will commence this work sometime in 2013, and that this work will take about 18 months to complete.
	To support the aims of the Cold Weather Plan, the Department established the Warm Homes, Healthy People fund of £20 million for winter 2012-13. This is an initiative to support local authorities and their partners in reducing deaths and poor health due to cold housing and builds on a similar initiative from the previous year. The Department invited bids from top-tier local authorities for innovative local proposals for the fund, with the aim of reducing death and morbidity due to cold housing in winter 2012-13. The results of this bidding process were announced to Parliament via a written ministerial statement on the 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 39WS. The Department has also made £1.5 million available to two national charities (Age UK and Foundations Independent Living Trust) to support work in this area as well.
	The Department has worked closely with Age UK in developing both the Cold Weather Plan and the Warm Homes initiative. Age UK has made clear in their WHHP proposal that the “Spread the Warmth” campaign will generate referrals through its national activity. We will ensure that we work with Age UK to draw out any lessons for the development of the Cold Weather Plan in future years.

Health Services: Cold Weather

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate how many people are at risk of (a) serious illness or (b) death as a result of cold weather in winter 2012-13.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not provide an estimate of numbers of people at risk of serious illness or death because of future potential cold weather spells in the coming winter 2012-13. However the Cold Weather Plan sets out a series of clear actions to minimise the health impact of severe winter weather. This can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/10/cwp-2012/

Hospitals: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS operations were cancelled in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each of the last three years.

Anna Soubry: The information is not collected in the form requested. Information on NHS operations cancelled by NHS trusts in each of the last three years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of last minute cancelled elective operations in the quarter for non-clinical reasons, selected organisations, December 2009 to September 2012 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Organisation name Dec Mar Jun Sept Dec Mar Jun Sept Dec Mar Jun Sept 
			 Suffolk             
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 76 121 80 57 84 107 88 69 87 100 38 56 
			 West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 40 36 44 66 59 50 37 55 36 63 43 39 
			              
			 Bedfordshire             
			 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 68 48 40 47 95 50 31 34 59 40 60 34 
			 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 33 25 57 39 138 111 74 51 69 15 30 30 
			              
			 Cambridgeshire             
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 125 130 159 89 93 103 89 114 180 235 238 204 
			 Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust 55 85 41 34 61 58 46 52 55 38 39 45 
			 Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 69 88 52 67 92 87 48 44 97 98 73 96 
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 157 120 102 149 196 152 103 95 177 263 182 101 
		
	
	
		
			 Essex             
			 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 88 269 213 121 79 113 80 64 86 65 81 70 
			 Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust 66 46 27 45 35 25 21 26 31 25 26 25 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 143 124 117 196 152 323 180 173 167 147 128 186 
			 Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 54 134 102 91 185 65 77 83 103 122 100 140 
			 The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 143 229 137 59 94 82 63 63 74 104 84 62 
			              
			 Hertfordshire             
			 East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 92 82 71 67 77 82 81 48 55 36 44 23 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 94 114 63 87 78 86 75 65 92 135 100 103 
			              
			 Norfolk             
			 James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 76 77 39 32 36 47 40 44 55 55 37 53 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 441 399 219 130 159 242 248 232 225 413 132 226 
			 The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust 50 133 137 82 141 110 100 92 143 98 54 99 
			 Source: Department of Health Quarterly Monitoring Cancelled Operations (QMCO)

Hospitals: Mortality Rates

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that those hospitals which are rated as highly efficient yet have high mortality rates have the funding and resources needed to provide high quality care.

Anna Soubry: Funding is allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) and not to individual national health service trusts. It is for each PCT to decide as to how it allocates resources. From 2013-14, allocation of resources will be made to clinical commissioning groups and will be a matter for the NHS Commissioning Board.

Influenza: Vaccination

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio is between people who receive the seasonal influenza vaccination and cases of influenza averted.

Anna Soubry: The ratio between the number of people vaccinated against influenza and the number of cases of influenza averted will vary from year to year depending on a number of factors including the degree of influenza activity, the matching between the vaccine-type strains and circulating influenza strains and the number of people vaccinated.
	An as yet unpublished study considered in 2012 by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, based on the epidemiology of influenza in England and Wales from 1995-96 to 2008-09, suggests that on average the current influenza vaccination programme might prevent around 1.5 million cases of influenza annually in England. However, there is large uncertainty each way in this estimate. The yearly number of cases prevented will also vary widely from year to year.
	The number of people vaccinated against influenza will also have varied over the period of this study. Estimates that are available for the number of people in the target groups (those aged 65 years and older and those under 65 years in clinical risk groups) that were vaccinated in England over the latter part of the period of this study (2005-06 to 2008-09) suggest the number vaccinated ranged between 8.1 and 8.6 million.
	Taken together, these estimates suggest that on average the ratio between the number of cases of influenza averted might be of the order of one case of influenza for around five vaccinated people, although there is much uncertainty in this estimate and the ratio will vary widely from year to year.

Knee Replacements: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, columns 156-8W, on knee replacements: Greater London, whether data on the (a) number of operations and (b) waiting times for patients attending north-west London hospitals to have a new knee fitted in 2011-12 is yet available; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The information is not available in the format requested. The number of finished admissions episodes (FAEs) and mean and median time waited (days) for knee replacement procedures during 2011-12 at each acute hospital trust in north-west London is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Name of trust Total FAEs Mean time waited Median time waited 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 180 107.0 102 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 159 84.3 84 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 274 164.5 167 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 331 132.5 144 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 492 84.5 79 
			 Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 233 87.0 90 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS trust 149 98.6 92 
			 Notes: 1. A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2. Time waited (days) statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as published Referral to Treatment (RTT) time waited statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients between decision to admit and admission to hospital within a given period. Published RTT waiting statistics measure the time waited between referral and start of treatment. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Mental Health Services: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been allocated to mental health provision in (a) Suffolk, (b) Cambridgeshire, (c) Essex and (d) Norfolk in each of the last three years.

Norman Lamb: The Department allocates resources to primary care trusts and it is for them to decide how to spend their resources to ensure that the health needs of the population they serve are met.
	The following table provides data on the amount of investment for each NHS Commissioner in the counties requested for the past three years:
	
		
			 Commissioner Total reported investment 2009-10 (£000) Total reported investment 2010-11 (£000) Total reported investment 2011-12 (£000) 
			 NHS Suffolk 37,375.56 41,696.11 42,701.90 
			 NHS Cambridgeshire 27,140.92 25,561.68 24,379.20 
			 NHS North East Essex 24,967.89 27,857.90 28,496.32 
			 NHS Mid Essex 22,966.42 26,429.13 27,040.94 
			 NHS South East Essex 28,737.92 27,097.47 30,461.99 
			 NHS South West Essex 31,449.74 32,853.64 32,890.17 
			 NHS West Essex 16,676.67 22,285.14 22,796.79 
			 NHS Norfolk 51,712.28 52,717.02 62,475.81 
			 Source: The National Survey of Investment in Adult Mental Health Services, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12

Mental Illness: Suffolk

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Suffolk were detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last five years; and how many such people were detained in secure wards.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not hold information on the number of people detained in secure wards in Suffolk.
	The following table sets out the number of people detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983 for Suffolk Primary Care Trust (the commissioner of the mental health care) for 2006-07 to 2010-11.
	
		
			  NHS providers only Independent sector providers only 
			 2006-07 371 — 
			 2007-08 385 — 
			 2008-09 376 — 
			 2009-10 375 — 
			 2010-11 392 11 
			 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) 2006-07 to 2010-11 annual returns. 
		
	
	Data for 2011-12 is not yet available.

NHS: Redundancy

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse has been of staff redundancies in each primary care trust since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: Management costs in primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) increased by over £1 billion between 2002-03 and 2008-09. This is an increase of over 120%. The aim of the coalition government is to reduce administrative spending on the national health service by one-third by 2014-15. Every penny saved should be reinvested in front-line patient care.
	Information on redundancy payments is not available in the format requested. A table containing “compulsory redundancies” and “other exits” for PCTs during 2010-11 and 2011-12 has been placed in the Library. The term “other exits” includes voluntary redundancies, early retirements, mutually agreed resignations (MARs), pay in lieu of notice (PILON) etc.
	The data are taken from the audited summarisation schedules of PCTs, from which the NHS (England) Summarised Accounts are prepared. The figures reported in the accounts represent the total resource cost of exit packages for staff leaving their organisation during the year. The expense associated with these departures may have been recognised in part or in full in a previous period.

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department will take to ensure that the planned acquisition of North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust by Northumbria University Foundation Trust is completed within the planned timeframe and that further delays to the acquisition process are prevented.

Daniel Poulter: The acquisition of North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a matter for the local national health service.
	The hon. Member may wish to contact the chief executive at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust about this issue.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees in his Department were paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: Information about the number of civil servants who have salaries in excess of £80,000 and of £100,000 in each of the last five complete years is given in the following table:
	
		
			 As at 31 March Number of employees with full-time equivalent salary of £80,000 or more (including £100,000 or more) Number of employees with full-time equivalent salary of £100,000 or more 
			 2012 114 43 
			 2011 134 48 
			 2010 159 58 
			 2009 171 64 
			 2008 161 63 
		
	
	The data above refer to the basic salary paid to civil servants and do not include allowances, bonuses or overtime payments. The data include part-time civil servants whose full-time equivalent salary is in excess of £80,000.

Procurement

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the monetary value is of contracts his Department has awarded to (a) management consultancies and (b) IT companies since 7 May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: Management consultancy services spend and total spend for information technology services for the Department of Health (this includes the core Department and Connecting for Health) since May 2010 are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Management consultancy services 
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2008-09 107.00 
			 2009-10 115.00 
			 2010-11 14.77 
			 2011-12 15.05 
			 From April to September 2012 (i.e. current financial year) 6.10 
			 Note: Financial year data 2008-09 to 2011-12 taken from NHS summarised accounts. 
		
	
	
		
			 IT companies 
			  £ million 
			 From 7 May 2010 to September 2012 269.00

Prosthetics

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure amputees treated in the NHS have access to the most appropriate prosthetic technology including microprocessor prosthetic knees; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Ministers have now accepted the recommendations made by the Clinical Advisory Group for Prescribed Services (CAG) led by Dr Kathy McLean. This recommended that specialist services to support patients with complex physical disabilities (including prosthetics) be directly commissioned by the NHS Commissioning Board from April 2013. Ministers are currently consulting with the NHS Commissioning Board on the list of services contained within the CAG report and on the basis of the results of the consultation we will be setting out the list of services in regulations.
	The NHS Commissioning Board will make decisions about guidance once arrangements for the commissioning of specialist services to support patients with complex physical disabilities have been confirmed.

School Milk

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many portions of milk have been reimbursed by his Department under the nursery milk scheme in each month in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: The following table shows the number of milk portions (each a third of a pint) reimbursed by the Department in each of the last financial years from 2007-08 to 2011-12 with a monthly breakdown. As the information on the number of milk portions reimbursed prior to April 2007 is not held centrally, we are unable to provide this.
	
		
			 Number of milk portions (each 1/3 pint) reimbursed since 2007-08 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 April 10,536,281 22,303,550 17,371,970 22,567,652 22,492,474 
			 May 24,812,992 18,085,882 16,198,005 17,782,066 18,209,856 
			 June 21,710,393 20,675,775 13,432,093 21,798,146 24,807,226 
			 July 17,569,427 19,776,146 15,464,454 21,921,350 24,432,384 
			 August 18,678,373 12,076,246 11,467,147 23,114,435 20,586,878 
			 September 15,136,335 16,009,086 16,389,034 15,805,496 15,889,141 
			 October 16,591,553 22,162,970 20,382,597 20,081,579 21,572,450 
			 November 16,826,107 14,026,974 16,079,212 23,160,564 21,671,187 
			 December 8,041,670 17,527,910 17,391,428 20,660,564 24,043,144 
			 January 21,370,430 18,123,707 15,675,263 23,048,244 23,036,336 
			 February 18,295,173 17,637,807 24,496,820 25,145,306 25,547,820 
			 March 16,538,556 21,558,309 33,011,299 26,415,006 29,044,691 
			 Total 206,107,290 219,964,362 217,359,322 261,500,408 271,333,587 
		
	
	It should be noted as childcare settings are allowed to claim for the past two years under the scheme, the numbers of milk portions reimbursed are likely to change from 2009-10 to 2011-12.

Senior Civil Servants

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many senior civil servants in his Department left to take up jobs in the (a) for-profit and (b) not-for-profit healthcare sector in the last six months.

Daniel Poulter: All staff leaving the civil service are reminded that if they intend to take up an outside appointment or employment then the outside business rules must be considered. The approval process for applications under those rules differ depending, on the applicant's seniority. The rules continue to apply for two years after the last day of paid civil service employment.
	From June 2012 to date, four members of the senior civil service (SCS), have taken up appointments in the ‘not-for-profit healthcare sector'. During the same period of time no members of the SCS took up appointments in the ‘for-profit' healthcare sector.

Skin Cancer

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of malignant melanoma; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such steps;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to improve melanoma treatment and diagnosis (a) in general and (b) in parts of the country identified as high incidence areas.

Anna Soubry: “Referral for Suspected Cancer”, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2005, sets out best practice for clinicians on the referral of patients with symptoms of suspected cancer, including malignant melanoma. ‘Improving Outcomes for People with Skin Tumours, including Melanoma’ published by NICE in 2006 and updated in 2010, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of patients with skin cancer, including melanoma.
	We have made it clear that NICE guidance will continue to be a feature of all commissioned services in the reformed national health service.
	The Department has funded Cancer Research UK (CRUK), under the SunSmart banner, to run skin cancer prevention campaign activity. In 2012-13 the Department has built on the successes of previous years by continuing to target young people aged 16-24 with the key messages of the importance of avoiding sunburn and the dangers of sunbed use (especially by those under 18). Core activities have included disseminating SunSmart branded resources (leaflets and posters) and ensuring messages are promoted to the target audience at specific events.
	In summer 2012, CRUK ran a social media campaign to promote SunSmart messages funded by the Department. The Made in the Shade campaign aimed to reduce sunburn by encouraging young people to protect themselves from the sun. The effectiveness of the campaign is currently being assessed by CRUK.
	The Department also commissioned and launched a separate campaign, Flag It, to encourage young people to look out for each other while enjoying the sun. The campaign highlighted the dangers of ultraviolet exposure and skin cancer by asking sun seekers to “flag it” when a friend needs to cover up, apply some sunscreen or stay in the shade. The Flag It public relations activity launched in July and coverage included the Sky News Radio network, (covering more than 280 stations with a weekly audience of nearly 34 million), two pieces of national online coverage, 24 pieces of consumer coverage, 12 pieces of regional coverage including two front covers and achieved a total Twitter reach of 885,179 users.
	The Department also funded CRUK to produce an educational campaign to help general practitioners (GPs) identify red-flag skin cancer symptoms. This included a GP Skin Cancer Toolkit that was launched on 29 June and promoted via doctors.net as part of an education campaign. Plans are under way to evaluate the impact of the toolkit to assess any increases in GP knowledge, the appropriateness of referrals into secondary care, as well as assessing pre/post referral accuracy into dermatology services over a calendar year.
	The Department has also funded CRUK to undertake a targeted direct mail campaign in Greater Manchester aimed at 10,000 men over 50 and 10,000 women as influencers of men over 50. The campaign will be evaluated to see which has the most positive effect on patient presentations with skin cancer concerns.
	The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act came into force in April 2011. The Act makes it an offence for sunbed businesses in England and Wales to permit people under 18 years to use sunbeds on their commercial premises. The Department has provided guidance for local authorities on the implementation of the Act, and accompanying information for sunbed businesses.

Skin Cancer: Drugs

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the status is of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence appraisal of the drug ipilimumab.

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing technology appraisal guidance on the use of ipilimumab for the treatment of previously treated unresectable stage III and IV malignant melanoma and currently expects to publish its final guidance in December 2012. NICE is also carrying out a separate technology appraisal of ipilimumab for the treatment of previously untreated stage III and IV malignant melanoma and currently expects to issue final guidance in August 2013.

Social Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress he has made with the draft Social Care Bill;
	(2)  what his proposed timetable is for the introduction of social care reform.

Norman Lamb: The draft Care and Support Bill was published in July 2012 and public consultation ran until October 2012. A summary of responses was published on 7 December 2012.
	Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill is now under way. The Commons members of this Committee were appointed on 19 November 2012. The Lords members of this Committee were appointed on 22 November 2012 and the joint committee will report by 7 March 2013.
	We remain committed to introducing legislation at the earliest opportunity to establish a sustainable legal framework for adult social care.

Surgery

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients have had foreign objects surgically removed in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The following table, shows a count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)(1) where the main or secondary procedure was removal of a foreign object(2) for the years 2007-08 to 2011-12(3).
	
		
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  FCEs 
			 2007-08 13,374 
			 2008-09 13,769 
			 2009-10 14,937 
			 2010-11 15,206. 
			 2011-12 15,744 
			 (1) Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2) Number of episodes with a (named) main or secondary procedure The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients under going a ‘cataract operation’ would tend to have at least two procedures—removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one—counted in a single episode. (3) Assessing growth through time (in-patients) HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Thalidomide: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the Scottish Government on his Department's grant to those adversely affected by thalidomide.

Norman Lamb: Departmental officials have been in regular contact with officials from the Scottish Government and the other devolved Administrations with regard to the grant to those adversely affected by Thalidomide, and will continue to work closely with them on this.

Transplant Surgery: Liver Diseases

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for liver transplant operations in (a) Denton and Reddish constituency and (b) the Greater Manchester area was in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the equivalent time was in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	Waiting time statistics for transplant of individual organs are collected on a transplant centre basis. It is therefore not possible to separate out data for the Denton and Reddish constituency. The transplant centres serving the Denton and Reddish and the Greater Manchester area for liver transplants is St James' University Hospital (Leeds) and Leeds General Infirmary.
	
		
			 Average waiting time for first adult(1) elective registrations for liver transplants between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2012 
			 Period(2) Number of patients Average(3) wait time (days) 
			 April 2005 to March 2008 250 204 
			 April 2006 to March 2009 272 276 
			 April 2007 to March 2010 285 260 
			 April 2008 to March 2011 333 252 
			 April 2009 to March 2012 338 224 
			 (1) 17 years of age and over at the time of registration (2) Three year time periods are used to be in line with centre specific reports and to ensure that sufficient numbers of patients have received a transplant in order to calculate the average waiting times. (3) This is the median waiting time. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Video Games: Injuries

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been admitted to hospital in each of the last five years with injuries or conditions caused by excessive video game use in each (a) socio-economic group, (b) age group and (c) gender.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not collected centrally.

West Cumberland Hospital

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to commit funding to cover the expected financial shortfall and allow the planned redevelopment of West Cumberland Hospital.

Daniel Poulter: The Department of Health and HM Treasury approved the business case for the redevelopment of the West Cumberland hospital, part of North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust in July 2012. The Department is committed to providing £70 million, appropriately adjusted for inflation, with the North of England Strategic Health Authority and the Trust each providing £10 million.

West Suffolk Hospital

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been treated at West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust accident and emergency department in each of the last three years; and how many of those were treated outside the hours of 8 am to 8 pm.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not collect data in the format requested.
	However, the Department does collect data on the number of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances and those attendances where the arrival time in A&E was between 8.00 pm and 7.59 am for West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11. This information is set out in the following table:
	A count of all A&E attendances and those attendances with an arrival time in A&E between 8.00 pm and 7.59 am for West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11:
	
		
			  All A&E attendances A&E attendances with an arrival time between 8.00 pm and 7.59 am 
			 2008-09 47,641 12,370 
			 2009-10 48,124 13,230 
			 2010-11 51,949 13,994 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

CABINET OFFICE

Work Force: Age

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the median age of the workforce is in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question.
	The ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics for areas below the UK following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions using the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	Estimates of the median age of the workforce have been provided for the requested geographies from the APS. The term workforce has been interpreted as those who were economically active in the week prior to interview during the period July 2011 to June 2012.
	
		
			 Median age of economically active people, July 2011 to June 2012 
			  Median age 
			 Liverpool, Walton 37 
			 Liverpool 39 
			 England 40 
			 Source: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	A wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis website:
	www.nomisweb.co.uk

Business: Closures

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many small businesses that began trading in the last three years have subsequently ceased trading in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency, (b) Suffolk, (c) the East of England and (d) England.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for the number of small businesses that began trading in the last three years that have subsequently ceased trading in (a) Bury St. Edmunds constituency, (b) Suffolk and (c) the East of England and (d) England.
	The table below shows the number of small businesses (0-49 employment size band) that started trading any time between the beginning of 2007 and the end of 2009, and are no longer trading.
	We refer to businesses that have started trading as births and businesses that have closed as deaths. The latest births data available are for 2010, however, we are unable to provide data regarding how many of these businesses died until the 2011 publication is released on 13th December 2012.
	More information on business survivals can be found in the annual Business Demography publication which can be accessed via the link below:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/business-demography/index.html
	
		
			 Count of deaths of small businesses occurring before 2011 that began trading between 2007 and 2009 
			  Number of businesses 
			 Bury St Edmunds 270 
			 Suffolk 1,830 
			 East of England 18,185 
			 England 172,455

Charities: Registration

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new charities were registered in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's chief executive to reply.
	Letter from Sam Younger, dated 5 December 2012
	I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question.
	The number of charities registered in England and Wales in each year was as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010-11 6,091 
			 2011-12 6,750 
		
	
	This information is publicly available on the register of charities:
	http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/ShowCharity/RegisterOfCharities/AdvancedSearch.aspx

Cybercrime

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much additional funding the Government Communications Headquarters has received through the National Cyber Security Programme in the last 18 months; and how much such funding it will receive in each of the next three years.

Chloe Smith: The Cyber Security Strategy indicated that the Security and Intelligence Agencies, including GCHQ, were expected to receive roughly 59% of the £650 million four year National Cyber Security Programme, with the majority of this going to GCHQ. We do not break down financial allocations by Agency for reasons of national security.
	On 3 December, alongside the written ministerial statement from the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 41WS, on the achievements of the first year of the Cyber Security Strategy, we published a document setting out spending and forecast spending in years 1 and 2 of the National Cyber Security Programme, available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Cyber_Security_Strategy_one_year_on_achievements_3-Dec-12_2.pdf
	A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Government Departments: Databases

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2012, Official Report, column 365W, on Government departments: land, when planned improvements in the scope and quality of the data captured by the central database of Government land and buildings will make data available.

Chloe Smith: Planned improvements to the scope and quality of the data captured by Electronic Property Information Mapping Services (e-PIMS), the central database of Government land and buildings, will be fully implemented during summer 2013. The Government Property Unit (GPU) is also working with Government Departments to improve the quality of data supplied. This will allow for more complete information to be available about the stock and flow of assets across the government estate.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2012, Official Report, column 470W, on Government Departments: disclosure of information, if he will now state how many assurance reports his Department has released publicly, where release has taken place within two years of the completion of the assurance review, since 2005.

Chloe Smith: Since 2005 the Cabinet Office has released one report where the majority of information has been published within two years of completion of the assurance review.

Ministerial Responsibility

Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  if he will set out all the instances when the principle of ministerial collective responsibility has been explicitly set aside since May 2010;
	(2)  whether there have been any instances when the principle of ministerial collective responsibility has been broken without it having been explicitly set aside under Paragraph 1 of the Ministerial Code since May 2010.

Francis Maude: In line with the practice of previous Administrations information relating to internal discussion and advice is not normally disclosed.

Official Hospitality

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent for hospitality purposes on (a) Champagne, (b) wines, (c) spirits, (d) soft drinks, (e) flowers, (f) laundry, (g) porterage, (h) china, (i) cutlery and (j) venue hire since May 2010.

Francis Maude: The information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Any expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in “Managing Public Money” and the Treasury handbook on “Regularity & Propriety”.

Population: City of Westminster

Mark Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the population range is for Westminster City's 2011 census outputs at a confidence interval of plus or minus 99 per cent.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which has responsibility for the Census for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question.
	The population of the London Borough of Westminster as estimated at the 2011 Census and published on 24 September was 219,396. The 99 per cent confidence interval for Westminster is ± 3.9 per cent. This equates to a population range of between 210,800 and 228,000. The more usual measure of 95 per cent confidence is for Westminster ± 3.0 per cent, equating to a range of population of between 212,800 and 226,000.

Religion: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent representations he has received from organisations in Scotland on legislation relating to religious organisations and public benefit.

Nick Hurd: I have received no recent representations from organisations in Scotland on legislation relating to religious organisations and public benefit.

Security

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which of his ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Defence have been issued with security passes for the Cabinet Office; and on what dates such passes were issued.

Francis Maude: None.

Social Security Benefits: Older People

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what work his Department's behavioural insight team has (a) undertaken and (b) plans to undertake on encouraging elderly individuals to decide for themselves whether to receive those benefits for the elderly which are currently distributed automatically to all qualifying persons.

Oliver Letwin: The behavioural insights team has not undertaken any specific projects in this area nor are there any current plans to do so in the future.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much direct funding his Department allocated in awards to each voluntary and community organisation in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; how much such funding he expects to provide in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 April 2012, Official Report, columns 798-800W. Funding awards for 2012-13 will be available at the completion of the financial year and all financial transactions over £25,000 are published throughout the year. Plans for 2013-14 and 2014-15 are yet to be finalised.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding Arts Council England has distributed in (a) London, (b) Tyne and Wear and (c) Sunderland in the last three years.

Edward Vaizey: The Department does not hold this information. Arts Council England (ACE) distributes Government funding for the arts independently of Ministers, and holds information on funding levels.
	However, the Department has obtained from ACE the following information on funding in (a) London, (b) Tyne and Wear and (c) Sunderland in the last three years. In 2009-10 Tyne and Wear benefited from a one-off grant of £45 million. Funding for Sunderland comes mainly from the Arts Council's Grants for the Arts programme, and funding levels to an extent depend on the number of applications, which reduced in 2010-11.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 (a) London 222,514,383 207,131,510 198,601,460 
			 (b) Tyne and Wear 66,445,803 17,001,805 15,103,212 
			 (c) Sunderland 489,855 417,706 427,670

Arts Council England: Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, column 237W, on Arts Council England: voluntary organisations, what regular funding Arts Council England allocated to each voluntary third sector organisation in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England provided 633 charities with regular funding in 2010-11 from a total of 829 regularly funded organisations who responded to the annual submission, and 614 charities with regular funding in 2011-12 from a total of 796 regularly funded organisations who responded to the annual submission.
	The funding details for all of these organisations shall be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

Big Lottery Fund

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications for charity funding from the Big Lottery Fund from 15 March 2007 to 9 September 2012 (a) were successful and (b) were unsuccessful.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The following provides the number of awards made and the number of unsuccessful applications received from charities between specified dates. The figures refer only to full applications and include applications that were withdrawn by the applicant.
	Number of awards—30,397
	Unsuccessful applications—33,810

Broadband

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether there will be an umbrella state aid agreement for the 12 cities who were successful in their bid for funds from the Urban Broadband Fund Round 2 - Smaller Cities; over what timescale any umbrella state aid agreement will take place; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: All cities taking part in the Super Connected Cities Programme (SCCP) are responsible for ensuring that their plans are State aid compliant. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is working actively to support SSCP cities, to ensure that they are able to obtain State aid approval, where it is necessary for their projects, and to ensure they can deliver in line with project procurement time scales. DCMS is currently considering whether and how an umbrella notification could most effectively support all SCCP cities in fulfilling the ambitions of this programme.

Conditions of Employment

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of civil servants in her Department have requested (a) part-time, (b) job-share or (c) other flexible working arrangements in each of the last five years; and how many such requests were granted.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not hold central records for the number of civil servants who requested part-time, job-share or other flexible working arrangements in each of the last five years. DCMS does however recognise the benefits for the individual, and the organisation, where opportunities to increase work-life balance have a positive impact on staff engagement and performance. DCMS currently has 33 employees who work part time, making up 9.2% of our current workforce.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many full-time equivalent staff were employed on consultancy contracts in her Department on the latest date for which figures are available; how many such staff were employed on the same date 12 months ago; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: As of 5 December 2012, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) employed 32 consultants. On the same date 12 months ago, 17 such staff were employed by DCMS. The increase in the last 12 months is due to specialist resource requirements in areas such as the rollout of superfast broadband.

Cultural Education Review

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date she expects Cultural Education to be published.

Edward Vaizey: The Government expect to publish the National Plan for Cultural Education early next year. The Plan will provide a joint update from the Department for Education (DFE) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on progress since the publication of Darren Henley's review of cultural education. Darren Henley made recommendations on aspirations for pupils' school experiences of cultural activities, for better partnership working and information sharing, for the curriculum, recognition of success for schools and pupils, and better training for teachers and cultural practitioners. Initiatives already under way include a new National Youth Dance Company to be delivered by Sadler's Wells, and a new Museums and Schools programme to increase the number of high quality educational visits by schools to local museums.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will ensure that the views of regional and local newspaper editors will be included in the Government's consultations on the Leveson Report.

Edward Vaizey: We have acknowledged that regional and local newspapers form a vitally important part of the media in the UK by among other things, contributing to a healthy local democracy and holding local authorities to account. The Government have included them in their discussions with industry following the publication of Lord Justice Leveson's Inquiry Report, and Lord Justice Leveson was himself careful to make a special point about the important contribution newspapers make to local communities. The Government will of course continue to ensure that it takes their views into account.

Football

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last met the chair or chief executive of the Football Association to discuss football governance.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport met the chair of the Football Association on 3 October to discuss a wide range of football issues, including governance, and as Minister for Sport and Tourism I meet with the chair and chief of the Football Association regularly. The football authorities continue to work towards reforming the governance of the game. They have already begun to implement this through the reform of the FA Board. We expect further reforms, including the introduction of a new licensing system for clubs and rationalisation of the relationship between the FA Board and its council, by summer 2013.

Sex Education

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress she has made on providing age-rated guidance for sex and relationship education in primary schools.

Elizabeth Truss: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Education.
	All schools, including primary schools, teaching sex education must have regard to the Secretary of State's Guidance on Sex and Relationship Education. This document makes clear that all sex and relationship education must be age-appropriate.

ICT: Theft

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from her Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The information requested is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			 2010-11 
			 Item Number 
			 Computers 0 
			 Mobiles 2 
			 BlackBerrys 2 
			 Other 1 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 
			 Item Number 
			 Computers 1 
			 Mobiles 0 
		
	
	
		
			 BlackBerrys 4 
			 Other 5

ICT: Expenditure

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for her Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Edward Vaizey: The following table provides details of spend on websites in the last two financial years, and the budgeted spend for this year.
	For financial year 2010-11 and 2011-12, we are able to split the spend between the different categories requested, but the Department does not split its budgeted costs into these categories. Therefore, for the current financial year we have provided the total of the team budgets that relate most closely to the building and maintenance of websites. However, as this budget covers activity other than website building and maintenance, we would expect the actual cost to be lower.
	
		
			  April 2010 to March 2011 April 2011 to March 2012 April 2012 to March 2013 allocated spend 
			 (a) strategy and planning 0 0 Total budget 71,500 
			 (b) design and build 87,499.66 0 (1)— 
			 (c) hosting and infrastructure 43,316.36 44,074.36 (1)— 
			 (d)content provision 45,837.50 0 (1)— 
			 (e) testing and evaluation 0 0 (1)— 
			 Annual totals 176,653.52 44,074.36 (1)— 
			 (1 )Indicates brace

Local Press

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with (a) regional and (b) local newspapers on the reduction in the number of titles;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with (a) regional and (b) local newspaper editors on the Leveson Report.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), met the Newspaper Society and the Society of Editors on 5 December and discussed the state of the regional and local newspaper industry and the Leveson Report. These bodies represent regional and local newspapers and their editors. The National Union of Journalists, the Press Association and the Professional Publishers Association were also present.

Local Press

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to help maintain existing newspaper titles at a regional and local level.

Edward Vaizey: Over the past two years, my predecessor and I have held a series of meetings with the industry on a range of issues that have an impact on them. A number of these, such as legal deposit and local authority newssheets, were taken forward through public consultations involving wider Government. Last year the Government also made changes to local cross-media ownership rules to make it easier for media owners to operate across different media. We will continue to work with the industry on ways that will help them to meet the challenges they face.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many employees of her Department were paid (a) between £80,000 and £100,000 and (b) in excess of £100,000 per year in each of the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: The number of employees in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which were paid (a) between £80,000 and £100,000 and (b) in excess of £100,000 per year, in each of the last five financial years, are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year In excess of £80,000 In excess of £100,000 
			 2011-12 13 4 
			 2010-11 11 6 
			 2009-10 9 6 
			 2008-09 8 5 
			 2007-08 7 5 
		
	
	The increase in numbers is due to the recruitment of senior civil servants on loan or fixed term appointments to work on the Olympic Games, until October 2012. Currently, the Department employs one member of staff who earns in excess of £100,000.

Public Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Local Government Association and (b) professional librarians on plans for library service reform.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), met the Local Government Association (LGA) on 6 November. In addition, I have regular discussions with the LGA, professional librarians and other library stakeholders on plans for library service delivery and reform.

Senior Civil Servants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of senior civil servants have left (a) her Department and (b) each of the public bodies for which she is responsible since May 2010; what the rate of turnover of senior civil servants has been in (i) her Department and (ii) each such body since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been shrinking its central staff in line with projections in the Government's comprehensive spending review.
	No leavers were recorded for the period May to September 2010. Since October 2010, 45 senior civil servants have left the Department and its executive agency, The Royal Parks, as set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of leavers 
			 2010  
			 October 1 
			   
			 2011  
			 February 1 
			 March 7 
			 April 3 
			 May 2 
			 June 1 
			 July 1 
			 October 1 
			 December 1 
			   
			 2012  
			 January 1 
			 February 1 
			 March 1 
			 April 1 
			 July 1 
			 September 7 
			 October 11 
			 November 4 
		
	
	During September, October and November 2012, the number of departures increased as a result of work on the Olympic games ending.
	The turnover rate in that period was 32.61%.
	Those working for the Department's arm's length bodies are public servants rather than civil servants as they do not work directly for the Crown.

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2012, Official Report, column 20W, on sick leave, what assessment she has made of the difference in the proportion of working days lost due to ill health between officers at SCS grade and at D grade; and what assessment she has made of the use of mindfulness-based therapies in reducing the proportion of working days lost in her Department.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) seeks to support all employees in managing their sickness absence, regardless of an employees' grade, including referral to occupational health service providers and a confidential employee assistance programme. Reduced sickness absence rates in more senior grades within an organisation is a trend that is reflected across many organisations, both in the public and private sector. No assessment has been made of the use of mindfulness-based therapies as a means of reducing working days lost to sickness absence in DCMS.

Staff Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the results of her Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will be publishing its October 2012 staff survey results on the DCMS website early next year. Following publication, we will place a copy of the results in the Library.
	DCMS has participated in the Cabinet Office-run Civil Service People Survey every year in October, since the survey's inception in 2009. Its base cost of £5,900 per annum is based on the headcount for the Department.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much direct funding her Department provided to each voluntary and community organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much such funding she expects to provide in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport provides grants to a number of bodies, many of which then distribute this money to a second tier of organisations. Some of these second tier organisations may be voluntary and community organisations, but the Department does not record this information.

Tourism: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which 10 tourist attractions in (a) Suffolk and (b) Norfolk attracted the largest number of visitors in each of the last three years.

Hugh Robertson: The Department does not record this information. However, each year VisitEngland invites all English visitor attractions to take part in an annual survey, recording visitor numbers alongside other key information such as entrance fees and visitor profiles. Full details of the results of this survey, including those for Norfolk and Suffolk attractions, in the last three years can be found at:
	http://www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics/major-tourism-surveys/attractions/Annual_Survey/index.aspx

TRANSPORT

A1

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the timescale of the upgrade of the A1 between Leeming Bar and Barton.

Stephen Hammond: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his 2012 autumn statement, announced the provision of additional capital expenditure in this spending review to ensure that four new major road projects, including the A1 Leeming to Barton Improvement, are able start construction in this spending review period. Works are planned to start in 2013-14 with the scheme open for traffic by 2016-17.

Crossrail Line

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review existing contracts with those construction firms currently working on Crossrail which have had previous affiliation with the Consulting Association to prevent the practice of blacklisting construction workers.

Stephen Hammond: Crossrail Ltd is responsible for the delivery of the Crossrail project and the management of its contractors.
	Crossrail Ltd is not aware of, and has seen no evidence of, blacklisting of any kind in connection with the Crossrail project.
	Crossrail Ltd requires all companies working on the project to comply with the law, which includes compliance with the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010. The Department understands that Crossrail Ltd is seeking written assurances from its contractors that they are aware of and complying with these obligations.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of drivers driving without insurance.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has taken a number of steps to tackle uninsured driving, fraud and the cost of motor insurance:
	(a) The continuous insurance scheme (CIE) introduced last year has enabled enforcement action to be taken against those who keep a vehicle without insurance. CIE supplements police powers introduced in 2005 to seize uninsured vehicles being driven on the road.
	(b) Working with the insurance industry to allow them access to DVLA driver details on penalty points and disqualifications to reduce fraud.
	(c) On 2 May the previous Secretary of State hosted a cross Government Summit with the insurance industry on measures to reduce the cost of premiums to lessen the incentive drive while uninsured.

East Coast Railway Line

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) Network Rail and (b) the Office of Rail Regulation about the defective rail at Colton Junction on the East Coast Main Line.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport has not held any discussions with either Network Rail (NR) or the Office of Regulation (ORR) about the incident at Colton Junction. However ORR has held discussions with NR to establish the facts of the incident.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account his Department took of the High Speed 2 spur in reaching a decision on the proposed Western Connection to Heathrow.

Simon Burns: The western connection and High Speed 2 spur to Heathrow would serve different areas. The western connection was included in Network Rail's Initial Industry Plan, published in September 2011, and is being built as an expansion of the existing rail network from the Great Western Main Line to improve airport access from the Thames Valley and the west. A High Speed 2 spur would provide direct services to Heathrow from the midlands and north.

ICT: Expenditure

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Norman Baker: Tables have been placed in the Libraries of the House showing how much has been spent on the Department for Transport's websites for the periods 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. The Department measured website costs during this period in line with the guidance issued by the then Central Office of Information, ‘Measuring website costs' (TG128). Costs provided are total external costs and do not include internal staff costs.
	The Department is fully committed to the Government Digital Strategy and is in the process of moving its online content to GOV.UK. Departmental websites and content continue to be rationalised; the corporate website moved across to GOV.UK on 15 November 2012. As such funds for 2012-13 will have been allocated for continued maintenance taking into account future closure of websites and transition to GOV.UK.
	In 2011/12 the Department spent £5,896,785.77 in total on its websites. This compares with £7,709,981.75 in 2009/10.

Level Crossings

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many collisions at level crossings have been caused or contributed to by inoperative warning lights in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many train collisions with (a) vehicles and (b) pedestrians at level crossings there were in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) and the Rail Safety and Standards Board collate figures of incidents and accidents on the railway that are reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995.
	Safety statistics for railways are available on the RSSB website at:
	www.rssb.co.uk
	In addition the ORR reports annually on safety performance, including at level crossings.

Level Crossings

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessors have had with Network Rail on safety at level crossings since June 2010.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin) and his predecessors have not held any such meetings since June 2010. Operational safety is a matter for the Office of Rail Regulation who hold regular meetings with Network Rail to discuss level crossing issues.

Level Crossings

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries have been caused by train collisions with people or vehicles at level crossings in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: The information on deaths and injuries is listed in the following table.
	
		
			 Level crossings 
			  Pedestrians Road Vehicle Occ.  
			  Fatal Injuries Fatal Injuries Total 
			 2001 8 23 2 11 44 
			 2002 6 24 2 7 39 
			 2003 8 24 5 19 56 
			 2004 5 40 3 6 54 
			 2005 7 42 3 1 53 
			 2006 5 46 — — 51 
			 2007 8 22 3 2 35 
			 2008 11 22 1 6 40 
			 2009 9 26 5 5 45 
			 2010 5 22 1 5 33 
			 2011 4 26 1 4 35 
			 2012 3 32 3 5 43 
			 Total 79 349 29 71 528

Northern Rail

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) age and suitability of the rolling stock, (b) punctuality and (c) customer services levels of the Northern Rail franchise.

Norman Baker: In most cases, trains are designed to have a service life of 30 to 35 years. The Northern fleet has an average age of just over 23 years. Rolling stock in the Northern fleet is of the same types as are used in East Anglia, South-West England, Wales and Scotland. These trains were designed for local regional services across Great Britain. I also scrutinise these issues at monthly meetings with the industry.
	Department officials and Passenger Transport Executives meet to assess Northern Rail's train punctuality, operational issues, and service quality at regular intervals against the franchise delivery benchmarks.
	It is for Northern Rail and local stakeholders to consider the viability of providing additional train services on individual routes based on passenger demand.
	In December 2011, Northern was provided with additional carriages funded by the Department for Transport to deliver additional places for passengers using peak services to and from Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle.

Olympic Games 2012

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to safeguard the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics in the policy areas for which he is responsible; and what budget his Department has allocated for that purpose.

Stephen Hammond: £6.5 billion of public transport infrastructure and capacity enhancements completed in advance of the games are delivering a long-term legacy of better transport services, particularly in East London.
	Additionally, there are many softer legacy benefits from the games—for example in improved transport industry operating practices, partnership working, communication to businesses and the public on avoiding congestion ‘hotspots' and alternatives to travel. The Department and transport industry partners are working together to capture and build on the transport successes seen as part of their normal business activities.

Parking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what contracts for providing car park management services to his Department are held by private companies;
	(2)  what the total value is of contracts between his Department and private companies for car park management services in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) South Lanarkshire local authority area.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not have any contracts for the provision of car park management services.

Police

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers were employed in (i) London and (ii) total by British Transport Police in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail
	parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

Railway Track

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate (a) Network Rail and (b) the Office of Rail Regulation have made of the number of cracked railway tracks in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 to date.

Simon Burns: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. Information about broken rails is available on Network Rail's website at
	http://www.networkrail.co.uk/searchresult.aspx?q=annual_returns
	The Rail Safety and Standards Board also publishes data on track defects in its annual safety reports along with monthly summary of safety reports containing broken rail figures, which is available on its website at
	http://www.rssb.co.uk/SPR/REPORTS/Pages/default.aspx

Railways

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Schedule 8 payments were made by Network Rail to individual train operating companies in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Norman Baker: The information requested is not held by the Department for Transport.
	Information on Schedule 8 payments to train operators is held by Network Rail. The Schedule 8 regime is a contractual element within the Track Access Agreement between Network Rail and each operator, and is overseen by the Office for Rail Regulation.

Railways

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of spending per head of population on rail transport in (a) Plymouth, (b) Devon, (c) Cornwall, (d) the South West and (e) the UK.

Norman Baker: The most recent data available for total public expenditure on rail transport is given in HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses for 2011/12. This reports that identifiable expenditure on rail transport per head in 2011/12 was £40 for the South West of England, and £119 for the whole of the UK. Equivalent data is not available below regional level.
	Please note that for the purposes of these statistics, “rail transport” covers light rail, metro and underground rail systems (including London underground), as well as the national rail network.

Railways: Franchises

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account he takes of passenger-to-seat ratios when appraising bids for rail franchises; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Capacity is a crucial part of specifying and procuring franchises. In general, bidders have been asked to minimise crowding in their bids and to match capacity to demand. This has been measured in a number of different ways during appraisal.

Railways: Northampton

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to improve average journey times by train between London and Northampton; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: This week, London Midland has begun operation of a new timetable that reduces the journey time of the fastest trains from London to Northampton.
	In addition, London Midland has undertaken work to upgrade its trains that operate along the West Coast Main Line so that they can operate at a maximum speed of 110 miles per hour instead of the previous 100, enabling more frequent services from London Euston and increasing passenger capacity on this line.

Railways: Passengers

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which (a) lines and (b) routes have the (i) highest and (ii) lowest ratios of passenger-to-seats on the national rail network; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport does not hold this information, although it does hold data from which it could be calculated. However, these data are commercially sensitive and cannot be released.
	The Department publishes statistics showing passenger numbers and crowding in a number of cities in England and Wales, based on passenger counts carried out by train operators. These statistics are available by city or London terminal. The following table shows the number of peak passengers on all routes into each city or London terminal expressed as a percentage of the number of standard class seats.
	
		
			 Peak standard class seating load factors(1) on a typical autumn weekday on routes into London terminals and selected cities: 2011 
			 Percentage 
			  AM peak PM peak Both peaks 
			 London Waterloo 136 119 128 
			 London Fenchurch Street 119 106 112 
			 London Paddington 111 110 111 
			 London Bridge 119 98 108 
			 Moorgate (London) 114 100 107 
			 London Victoria 106 94 100 
			 London Euston 100 97 99 
			 London Blackfriars (via Elephant and Castle) 111 82 98 
			 London Liverpool Street 103 91 97 
			 Leeds 93 94 94 
			 London Marylebone 96 82 89 
			 Manchester 87 91 89 
			 London St. Pancras 95, 81 88 
			 Birmingham 83 87 85 
			 London King's Cross 85 81 83 
			 Bristol 68 87 77 
			 Liverpool 74 78 76 
			 Sheffield 64 84 74 
			 Cardiff 61 66 64 
			 Nottingham 60 65 62 
			 Leicester 53 64 58 
		
	
	
		
			 Newcastle 46 62 54 
			 (1 )Number of standard class passengers expressed as a percentage of the number of standard class seats. Passenger numbers are measured at a train's busiest point on arrival into or departure from the city. 
		
	
	These figures are based on the statistics published in “Rail passenger numbers and crowding on weekdays in major cities in England and Wales: 2011”, which can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-passenger-numbers-and-crowding-on-weekdays-in-major-cities-in-england-and-wales-2011
	Note that these figures are based on all routes into the city or London terminal, so do not reflect any differences that may exist between different routes into the same city or London terminal. As the figures are based on the number of standard class seats they do not take into account the availability of standing room on each route, which varies by type of rolling stock, with some commuter trains designed to have a large amount of standing space.

Railways: South West

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to improve the resilience of the train link between London and the far South West.

Norman Baker: We are looking at the issue of long term resilience in relation to more extreme weather conditions with senior rail industry colleagues. Initially, Network Rail will need to understand why the present railway structures were not able to cope in the recent wet weather and if there are value for money improvements possible. They will also need to consider the longer term implications of changes to the climate.
	In this respect, as part of the HLOS process the Secretary of State requires the industry to confirm how decision-taking processes and investment plans will take appropriate account of the risks and opportunities from anticipated climate change. The Office of Rail Regulation will be taking account of this while determining and assessing Network Rail funding for CP5. HLOS also requires maintenance of train performance at 92.5% PPM so the rail industry has a good incentive to ensure routes are open and services operational.

Roads: Accidents

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2012, Official Report, column 357, on road deaths and injuries, what sanctions he will apply to those local authorities who exceed road casualty forecasts;
	(2)  when his Department's forecasts for casualty numbers for the period 2013 to 2030 will be published;
	(3)  what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the devolved Administrations over plans to publish road casualty forecasts;
	(4)  whether his Department's casualty number forecasts up to 2030 will be broken down by (a) region or (b) local authority;
	(5)  how his Department will forecast the number of casualties as a result of accidents on the roads.

Stephen Hammond: No sanctions are planned for local authorities who exceed road casualty forecasts. However, the Department intends to launch a road safety comparison website in the spring. The website will provide information on local highway authority performance that is easily accessible to citizens in a straightforward format, so that they are able to make their own assessment of performance. This will increase transparency and build capability to help citizens and communities solve problems in their area.
	Casualty reduction forecasts for killed and seriously injured were published in the Strategic Framework for Road Safety on 11 May 2011, following consultation with the devolved Administrations. My officials meet officials from the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales regularly.
	The forecasts have not been broken down by region or local authority and there is no intention to do so.
	Details of how the forecasts were established are in the Strategic Framework, which can be viewed online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-framework-for-road-safety

Roads: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motor accidents involving uninsured drivers occurred in (a) Havering and (b) the UK in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is not held centrally. This is because the Department does not collect insurance data as part of reported personal injury road accidents.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many car accidents there were in Havering involving drivers (a) unfit to drive through drugs and (b) over the safe drink drive limit in the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: We do not collect data on a constituency by constituency basis. The following table shows the number of reported personal injury road accidents where at least one car driver was assigned a contributory factor of "impaired by alcohol" or "impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal)", for the London region, in each of the last five years:
	
		
			 Number of reported accidents involving at least one car with a contributory factor: impaired by alcohol or drugs (illicit or medicinal): 2007-11 
			 Number 
			  Car driver impaired by alcohol Car driver impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) 
			 2007 269 26 
			 2008 270 32 
			 2009 354 26 
			 2010 306 20 
			 2011 298 23

Roads: Accidents

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral answer of 29 November 2012, Official Report, column 357, on road deaths and injuries, what consideration he has given to the actions he will require, and of whom, if the level of road deaths and injuries is higher than forecast.

Stephen Hammond: Actions required to reduce the level of deaths and injuries and by whom are set out in Annex A to the Strategic Framework for Road Safety. It would not be surprising to see some fluctuations within the context of a long-term downward trend. We will monitor performance against the indicators in the Road Safety Outcomes Framework at Annex B to the Strategic Framework and keep actions under review. The outcomes framework can be viewed online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/about/statistics

Roads: Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities there have been as a result of road accidents involving agricultural vehicles in the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The number of fatalities in reported accidents involving agricultural vehicles for last five years is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of fatalities 
			 2007 34 
			 2008 21 
			 2009 18 
			 2010 22 
			 2011 21

Roads: North West

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the North West Highways management contract for area 10.

Stephen Hammond: The Asset Support Contract for the geographical area known as Area 10 is publicly available on the Government Contracts Finder website at:
	http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20Notice.aspx?site=1000&lang=en&noticeid=569302&fs=true

Rolling Stock

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will develop a comprehensive national rolling stock plan.

Simon Burns: Our March 2012 Command Paper "Reforming our Railways: Putting the Customer First" explained that we would look to the rail industry to develop a high-level rolling stock strategy. We believe this could deliver important benefits, including better value for money and greater visibility for manufacturing suppliers.
	The industry's Rail Delivery Group is taking this work forward.

Severn River Crossing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what debts the Government will incur relating to the Severn river crossings after they have passed into Government ownership.

Stephen Hammond: After the end of the current concession there will remain an amount of Government debt outstanding relating to the crossings. The exact amount of Government debt outstanding is still being worked through, but could be over £100 million. The Government have been clear that it will need to continue to toll after the current concession ends in order to recover costs incurred by UK taxpayers in relation to the crossings.

Sickness Absence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 758W, on sick leave, what assessment he has made of the difference in the proportion of working days lost due to ill health between officers at AA grade and at SCS grade; and what assessment he has made of the use of mindfulness-based therapies in reducing the proportion of working days lost in his Department.

Norman Baker: The Department has made no assessment of either the difference in the proportion of working days lost due to ill heath between officers at AA grade and at SCS grade or, the use of mindfulness-based therapies in reducing the proportion of working days lost.
	However, departmental officials routinely report to senior managers on sickness absence levels in order to identify trends, address any concerns relating to short and long term absences and, agree appropriate interventions on a case by case basis.

Staff Surveys

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport participates in the annual Civil Service People Survey co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office and administered by ORC International. The Department's costs for the 2012 Survey have not yet been finalised. Core costs were £34,985 in 2011 and they are expected to be similar in 2012. This compares with £52,000 for the 2009 survey.
	The Department's results for 2012 will be published on its external website prior to 1st February 2013. A copy will be placed in the Library at the same time as the external publication.

Thameslink Railway Line

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the original timetable was for completion of the Thameslink rolling stock contract; and when he expects the contract to complete.

Simon Burns: The original date for awarding the contract, as indicated in the Invitation to Tender document of 27 November 2008, was March 2010. We expect the contract to be complete early in the new year.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he proposes to automatically award the Thameslink rolling stock contract to Bombardier as reserve bidder if it is not possible for his Department to reach financial close with Siemens.

Simon Burns: We remain confident of reaching financial close with Siemens. If it were not possible to reach financial close with Siemens, we would not automatically award the Thameslink rolling stock contract to Bombardier. However, Bombardier remain reserve bidder.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reasons Siemens has provided to his Department for the time taken to reach financial close of the Thameslink rolling stock contract.

Simon Burns: We remain confident of reaching financial close with Siemens early in the new year. The Thameslink rolling stock is a very significant investment. Given the size of the transaction detailed discussions to conclude the commercial documentation have taken place, with the Department protecting its commercial position accordingly.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the tendering process for the Thameslink rolling stock contract will need to start again if it is not possible for his Department to reach financial close with Siemens.

Simon Burns: We remain confident of reaching financial close with Siemens. If it were not possible to reach financial close with Siemens we would thoroughly review all options at that time.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department plans to publish or announce its assessments of alternatives to Siemens for the Thameslink programme before the New Year.

Simon Burns: We are confident of reaching commercial close with Siemens before the end of the year and financial close early in the new year. We have no plans to announce an assessment of alternatives to Siemens.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider alternative providers to Siemens for the Thameslink programme.

Simon Burns: We are confident of reaching financial close with Siemens early in the new year. And so we are not currently considering alternatives at this time. Bombardier remain reserve bidder.

Transport

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of spending per head of population on transport in (a) Plymouth, (b) Devon, (c) Cornwall, (d) the South West and (e) the UK.

Norman Baker: The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport is given in HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses for 2011/12. Identifiable expenditure on transport per head in 2011/12 was £184 for the South West and £315 for the whole of the UK. Equivalent data is not available below regional level.

Transport

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the implications for his policies of the conclusions of the RAC Foundation's report On the Move: Making sense of car and train travel trends in Britain; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The report ‘On the Move' includes some very useful insights into recent road travel behaviour and we warmly welcome its publication. We think that the findings are wholly consistent with our current policies. The report does demonstrate the significance of a wide range of factors, such as the impact of the decline in the use of company cars as well as the importance of different trends in different locations. We continuously review our assessment of the trends in transport demand and will be looking closely at how this report can add to our understanding.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Land

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has plans to gather data which will record national and regional agricultural land values; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: DEFRA is currently carrying out a review of land price data sources and is looking to collect both national and regional land prices and rents.

Angling

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the contribution of recreational sea angling to the economy.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is currently sponsoring the Sea Angling 2012 project, where officials are working alongside representatives from the sector to gather information on recreational sea angling.
	Part of the information gathering will assess the economic contribution of recreational sea angling in England. We expect the conclusions to be available in late 2013.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department made of the possible introduction of an oral badger vaccine; and what estimate it has made of how long it would take to introduce such a vaccine.

David Heath: An oral badger vaccine is still in development. It is not possible to say with any certainty if and when such a vaccine might be available for use in the field.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his preferred test is to determine whether alpacas have contracted tuberculosis; what the reasons are for preferring that test; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: Different tests (and combinations thereof) can be used to diagnose or rule out the same disease, depending on the circumstances and background risk of infection in a particular country or group of animals. In the case of TB in alpacas and llamas, and in the absence until recently of a better alternative, the comparative intradermal tuberculin test ("skin test") has traditionally been used to screen camelids for TB infection in most countries.
	However, it is acknowledged that the skin test has a low sensitivity in camelids, it is cumbersome and difficult to standardise under field conditions and, consequently, it fails to detect many infected animals in a herd. As a result, to increase the sensitivity of the TB testing regime in known infected camelid herds, AHVLA has deployed since 2006 a supplementary blood test (the Chembio StatPak). This test is offered to camelid keepers on a voluntary basis in conjunction with the skin test. AHVLA, with the financial support of the British camelid industry, has recently validated this and other blood tests for TB in alpacas, the results of which have been peer reviewed and published.

Dogs

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of dogs kept as pets in England; and how many of those have been microchipped.

David Heath: In April this year, the consultation on the Government's proposals to tackle irresponsible dog ownership was accompanied by an impact assessment on the microchipping of dogs. Within this, we estimated that the dog population in England is 6.7 million and that around 58% of these are microchipped.

Fish: Conservation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential use of offshore wind turbines to protect and encourage fish stocks in UK waters by creating artificial reefs and nurseries undisturbed by commercial fishing practices.

Richard Benyon: Both ongoing monitoring at offshore wind farm sites (UK and overseas) and research studies have shown increases in fish number around the foot prints of offshore wind farms. However, it is still unclear whether offshore wind farms simply attract fish from elsewhere or whether they have the potential to increase the number of fish within the population. There are a number of factors that could result in an increase and these are:
	protection from fishing mortality;
	provision of food found in or around the offshore wind farms; or
	provision of spawning/nursery grounds and protection from predators.

Floods

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2012, Official Report, column 25, on flooding, which local authorities have received grants under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010; what the value of such grants has been; and how each grant has been spent.

Richard Benyon: Grants for lead local flood authorities in England to meet their new burdens under the Flood and Water Management Act were announced by DEFRA in December 2010. Funding for 2011-12 totalled £21 million, rising to £36 million for 2012-13 and for each of the subsequent years of this spending review period. Allocations within this are based on levels of local flood risk, with local authorities consulted in advance on the methodology to be used.
	The funds to date have been allocated through area-based grant arrangements (now local services support grant) and it is for each local authority to decide where the money will be of most use. From April 2013, an element of these funds will be provided to local authorities through the new business rates retention system. The overall amounts being provided to each authority are unaffected by this change.
	A list of lead local flood authorities in England and the amount they are receiving is as follows:
	
		
			 £000 
			  Funding allocation 
			 Local authority 2011-12 2012-13 to 2014-15 
			 Barking and Dagenham 121.7 162.7 
			 Barnet 132.2 210.4 
			 Barnsley 117.7 144.8 
			 Bath and North East Somerset UA 125.9 182.0 
			 Bedford 125.4 179.5 
			 Bexley 130.7 203.5 
			 Birmingham 157.0 321.8 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 118.9 150.4 
			 Blackpool UA 116.6 139.9 
			 Bolton 119.8 154.3 
			 Bournemouth UA 116.3 138.5 
			 Bracknell Forest UA 119.5 153.0 
			 Bradford 131.9 208.7 
			 Brent 133.5 216.1 
			 Brighton and Hove UA 140.7 248.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Bristol UA 136.4 229.2 
			 Bromley 141.6 252.7 
			 Buckinghamshire 161.4 341.8 
			 Bury 121.5 162.1 
			 Calderdale 136.7 230.5 
			 Cambridgeshire 162.6 347.1 
			 Camden 134.4 220.2 
			 Central Bedfordshire UA 128.7 194.6 
			 Cheshire East UA 124.7 176.5 
			 Cheshire West and Chester UA 128.5 193.5 
			 City of London 114.4 129.8 
			 City of Nottingham UA 132.6 212.1 
			 Cornwall 155.8 316.4 
			 Coventry 127.4 188.6 
			 Croydon 141.8 253.6 
			 Cumbria 160.8 338.9 
			 Darlington UA 113.8 127.6 
			 Derby City UA 124.5 175.7 
			 Derbyshire 169.2 376.8 
			 Devon 207.2 548.2 
			 Doncaster 140.7 248.3 
			 Dorset 153.6 306.6 
			 Dudley 123.0 168.9 
			 Durham 130.0 200.5 
			 Ealing 126.5 184.4 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 162.4 346.4 
			 East Sussex 157.9 326.2 
			 Enfield 134.5 220.4 
			 Essex 218.5 598.8 
			 Gateshead 116.1 137.5 
			 Gloucestershire 162.3 346.0 
			 Greenwich 142.2 255.4 
			 Hackney 130.8 203.9 
			 Halton UA 115.6 135.6 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 159.1 331.3 
			 Hampshire 208.2 552.6 
			 Haringey 131.4 206.6 
			 Harrow 124.4 175.3 
			 Hartlepool UA 115.2 133.5 
			 Havering 132.0 209.5 
			 Herefordshire UA 129.8 199.5 
			 Hertfordshire 207.2 548.1 
			 Hillingdon 126.5 184.7 
			 Hounslow 130.5 202.8 
			 Isle of Wight UA 120.0 155.4 
			 Islington 133.8 217.5 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 131.5 207.0 
			 Kent 260.0 750.0 
			 Kingston upon Hull UA 193.7 487.2 
			 Kingston upon Thames 120.5 157.5 
			 Kirklees 138.4 238.3 
			 Knowsley 114.8 131.9 
			 Lambeth 150.1 291.0 
			 Lancashire 200.1 516.2 
			 Leeds 145.6 270.5 
			 Leicester City UA 137.9 235.9 
			 Leicestershire 153.1 304.5 
			 Lewisham 143.5 261.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Lincolnshire 238.6 689.4 
			 Liverpool 129.1 196.2 
			 Luton UA 124.5 175.5 
			 Manchester 133.8 217.4 
			 Merton 127.4 188.8 
			 Middlesbrough UA 116.3 138.8 
			 Milton Keynes UA 120.5 157.6 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 118.4 148.3 
			 Newham 146.8 276.1 
			 Norfolk 198.6 509.2 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 142.4 256.2 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 131.4 206.6 
			 North Somerset UA 144.4 265.4 
			 North Tyneside 115.1 133.2 
			 North Yorkshire 168.1 371.8 
			 Northamptonshire 149.9 290.0 
			 Northumberland 130.3 201.6 
			 Nottinghamshire 175.1 403.3 
			 Oldham 121.0 159.9 
			 Oxfordshire 157.6 324.8 
			 Peterborough UA 118.5 148.7 
			 Plymouth UA 119.8 154.5 
			 Poole UA 116.2 138.0 
			 Portsmouth UA 128.9 195.3 
			 Reading UA 124.0 173.4 
			 Redbridge 124.6 175.9 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 117.4 143.5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 130.2 201.4 
			 Rochdale 124.2 174.2 
			 Rotherham 120.2 156.3 
			 Rutland UA 112.4 121.1 
			 Salford 122.5 166.7 
			 Sandwell 125.5 180.1 
			 Scilly 111.4 116.4 
			 Sefton 120.6 157.9 
			 Sheffield 134.6 221.1 
			 Shropshire 135.4 224.7 
			 Slough UA 121.2 160.7 
			 Solihull 118.8 149.8 
			 Somerset 187.8 460.9 
			 South Gloucestershire UA 124.7 176.4 
			 South Tyneside 115.1 133.4 
			 Southampton UA 119.9 154.7 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 122.3 165.7 
			 Southwark 182.8 438.2 
			 St Helens 119.3 152.0 
			 Staffordshire 164.3 354.8 
			 Stockport 121.8 163.2 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 116.2 138.1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent UA 120.7 158.3 
			 Suffolk 172.7 392.9 
			 Sunderland 120.6 158.1 
			 Surrey 217.0 592.1 
			 Sutton 125.0 177.8 
			 Swindon UA 119.3 152.0 
			 Tameside 119.3 152.0 
			 Telford and the Wrekin UA 117.1 142.4 
			 The Medway Towns UA 131.9 209.0 
			 Thurrock UA 129.2 196.7 
			 Torbay UA 119.6 153.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Tower Hamlets 146.5 274.4 
			 Trafford 117.0 141.9 
			 Wakefield 128.2 192.2 
			 Walsall 121.7 163.1 
			 Waltham Forest 127.2 187.6 
			 Wandsworth 154.7 311.7 
			 Warrington UA 124.1 173.6 
			 Warwickshire 142.5 256.7 
			 West Berkshire UA 127.0 186.7 
			 West Sussex 176.7 410.6 
			 Westminster 158.4 328.3 
			 Wigan 128.3 192.7 
			 Wiltshire 153.0 303.8 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead UA 130.1 200.7 
			 Wirral 122.8 167.9 
			 Wokingham UA 119.5 152.9 
			 Wolverhampton 123.4 170.8 
			 Worcestershire 143.3 260.2 
			 York UA 120.0 155.3 
			 Total 21,000 36,000

Floods: Insurance

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure that an affordable and sustainable flooding insurance scheme is in place when the current regime expires in June 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: We remain committed to ongoing discussions with the Association of British Insurers, on behalf of their members and others about what replaces the Statement of Principles agreement. However, it is not our policy to conduct negotiations in public. There are a range of options are on the table. We need a lasting solution that ensures affordable insurance bills for those at flood risk but does not place unsustainable costs on wider policyholders arid the taxpayer.
	Earlier this year DEFRA, in collaboration with, the National Flood Forum and insurance industry representatives published a guide to help householders in high flood risk areas obtain appropriate insurance. We have also established a common methodology for reporting the impact of property level flood protection measures in reducing potential flood damages so that insurers can take this into account in their pricing decisions.
	Tackling flood risk remains the most effective way of keeping insurance terms affordable in the long term. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), recently announced that an extra £120 million will be spent over the next two years (April 2013 to March 2015) to accelerate around 50 flood defence projects. This, combined with increasing levels of external co-funding, means that over the current spending period more will be spent on flood and coastal risk management than ever before.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the UK's policy will be on the discussions on the reduction in F gas emissions at the UN Doha Climate Change Conference.

Richard Benyon: The UK is supporting efforts at the UN Doha Climate Change Conference to secure a decision on the need for further international action to address the increasing global production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the most commonly used F gases. The UK Government support the use of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer as the most suitable framework for further action on HFCs, to complement efforts under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to minimise their emissions to the environment.

Landfill

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK landfills accepting waste in each year between 2012 and 2017.

Richard Benyon: There are currently 509 landfills permitted by the Environment Agency in England and Wales that accept waste. The Department does not have an estimate of the number of sites that will accept waste in the years to 2017. This would depend on any newly authorised sites and the closure of existing sites, and these are decisions primarily for the landfill operators to make. However, the landfill industry has estimated there may be a 25% reduction in sites over the next five years as more biodegradable and recyclable waste is diverted away from landfill. Furthermore, operators may seek to temporarily close or extend the life of existing sites.

Marine Conservation Zones

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date he expects to publish his public consultation on marine conservation zones.

Richard Benyon: I expect to consult shortly on the first tranche of marine conservation zones.

National Flood Forecasting Centre

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the budget for the Flood Forecasting Centre was in each of the last three years; and what the planned budget for the centre is in each of the next three years.

Richard Benyon: The Flood Forecasting Centre received £2.64 million from DEFRA and the Environment Agency in 2010-11. Since 1 April 2011 the Flood Forecasting Centre receives a total of £3.69 million annually from DEFRA and the Environment Agency. The current contract runs until 31 March 2015. We will review our commitment to continue funding the Flood Forecasting Centre before the end of the current contract.

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will guarantee funding for the National Wildlife Unit after March 2013.

Richard Benyon: The Government take the matter of wildlife crime very seriously and appreciate the contribution made by the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) in tackling these crimes. Decisions on NWCU funding beyond 2012-13 will be taken as soon as possible.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the planned budget is for the Natural Capital Committee in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Richard Benyon: The planned budget for the Natural Capital Committee is as follows:
	
		
			  Planned budget (£) 
			 (a) 2012-13 432,322 
			 (b) 2013-14 432,322 
			 (c) 2014-15 441,322 
		
	
	This includes administration, programme spend and research and development.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions he has met Dieter Helm in his capacity as Chair of the Natural Capital Committee.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), met Professor Dieter Helm in his capacity as chair of the Natural Capital Committee on 18 September 2012. On 26 November he shared a platform with the chair at the Natural Capital Committee's Royal Society public engagement event.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions the Natural Capital Committee has met; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Natural Capital Committee has had four formal meetings:
	(1) 23 May 2012
	(2) 18 July 2012
	(3) 17 September 2012
	(4) 14 November 2012
	It also has monthly teleconference updates and ad hoc subgroup meetings on various workstrands.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what key performance indicators he has set for the Natural Capital Committee; and what progress has been made against each such indicator.

Richard Benyon: The independent Natural Capital Committee (NCC) does not have a set of performance indicators. It has a remit to:
	To provide advice on when, where and how natural assets are being used unsustainably—for example, in a way that takes us beyond some acceptability limits or non linearity thresholds, or in a way that diminishes some measure of comprehensive wealth;
	To advise the Government on how they should prioritise action to protect and improve natural capital, so that public and private activity is focused where it will have greatest impact on improving wellbeing in our society. This will include advising the Government on tools and methodologies to ensure that the value of natural capital is fully taken into account in policy decisions and in economic planning;
	To advise the Government on research priorities to improve future advice and decisions on protecting and enhancing natural capital. The Committee's advice in this area will reflect consultations with the Research Councils and the academic community.
	Progress against each of these aspects of the remit will be recorded in the NCC's annual report.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made on including natural capital in the UK Environmental Accounts.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has a commitment to work with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to include natural capital in the UK Environmental Accounts. DEFRA is already acting on this commitment by working in close partnership with ONS and is strongly committed to ensuring this happens quickly. The Government understand that the ONS intends to publish a roadmap on their plans later this month.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date the first annual State of Natural Capital Report will be published.

Richard Benyon: The Natural Capital Committee aims to publish its first annual State of Natural Capital report in spring 2013.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of natural capital assets in the UK; and which such assets are most important to (a) wellbeing and (b) the economy.

Richard Benyon: The evidence in the independent National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA) report takes into account the economic, health and social benefits we get from nature. The Government are committed to adding to this knowledge base and is therefore supporting a two-year long follow-on phase of the UK NEA. The follow-on phase will further develop and promote the arguments the UK NEA put forward.
	We do not yet know which assets are most important to wellbeing or the economy. The Natural Capital Committee's State of Natural Capital report will combine science and economic evidence in a way that will better enable valuation of natural capital stocks and flows.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions he has met representatives of the Office of National Statistics to discuss natural capital accounting.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), has had no formal meetings with the Office for National Statistics (ONS). DEFRA officials have met the ONS several times to discuss natural capital accounting.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions he has met business representatives to discuss the development of corporate natural capital accounting in the UK.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), has had no formal meetings with business representatives specifically about the subject of corporate natural capital accounting. However, engagement with business and financial institutions on corporate natural capital accounting is one of the independent Natural Capital Committee's (NCC) main work streams. Several informal meetings initiated by the NCC took place in August and September 2012 to discuss this.
	On 5 December 2012 the NCC met landowners and land managers to discuss the methods of accounting for natural capital assets. DEFRA officials are also involved with The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study for business.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has developed an inventory of natural capital assets for which it is responsible.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not developed an inventory of natural capital assets for which it is responsible and currently do not have any plans to do so. Core DEFRA is not directly responsible for any assets but elements of the DEFRA network are, such as the Forestry Commission, the Environment Agency, the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and Natural England.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Natural Capital Committee has been asked to consider the efficiency and effectiveness of Government policies on natural capital.

Richard Benyon: The Natural Capital Committee remit covers the following three areas:
	To provide advice on when, where and how natural assets are being used unsustainably—for example, in a way that takes us beyond some acceptability limits or non linearity thresholds, or in a way that diminishes some measure of comprehensive wealth;
	To advise the Government on how they should prioritise action to protect and improve natural capital, so that public and private activity is focused where it will have greatest impact on improving wellbeing in our society. This will include advising the Government on tools and methodologies to ensure that the value of natural capital is fully taken into account in policy decisions and in economic planning;
	To advise the Government on research priorities to improve future advice and decisions on protecting and enhancing natural capital. The Committee's advice in this area will reflect consultations with the Research Councils and the academic community.
	The Committee may not:
	Perform a watchdog or advocacy role with respect to Government's policy decisions;
	Be policy prescriptive in its advice unless requested by the Secretary of State for the Environment (or by the EA Committee via the Secretary of State); nor
	Make decisions on classifications or statistical standards.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the commitment to fully include natural capital in the UK Environmental Accounts will value both the stock and flow of natural capital.

Richard Benyon: The accounts will cover both the value of the stocks and the value of the services.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce a requirement that all environmental impact assessments incorporate a costed explanation of how Government policy proposals will affect natural capital assets.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA committed in the Natural Environment White Paper that as part of our approach to sustainable development the Government will consider the value of nature in all relevant impact assessments in its policy making process.
	To support this, DEFRA has worked with Treasury and produced new supplementary guidance to Treasury’s Green Book for use by all Government Departments on valuing the natural environment in appraisals. An evaluation of how guidance on accounting for environmental impacts is used is being undertaken.
	DEFRA does not currently have a methodology for natural capital asset valuation but we expect this to be developed as part of the ongoing work on ecosystem accounting.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department is contributing to the update of the UN's system of integrated environmental and economic accounting; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is represented on the United Nations committee which is steering the update of the UN manual. We are also represented on the editorial boards for Volumes II and III and have provided funding for the editor. We have presented issue papers and hosted an international workshop jointly with the Office for National Statistics. We have contributed material and comments on drafts throughout the process of the update.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department is supporting the World Bank's global partnership for wealth accounting and the valuation of ecosystem services; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Department for International Development is leading in supporting the World Bank's Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) partnership. It contributed £0.5 million during the design phase and has agreed to contribute £1.9 million over four years for the implementation phase (2012-15). DEFRA is also engaged with the WAVES initiative in terms of sharing expertise and experience of relevant work in the UK. DEFRA is also represented through a senior economist on the WAVES Policy and Technical Expert Committee.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent members of staff in his Department are working to implement the commitment in the Natural Environmental White Paper to fully include natural capital in the UK Environmental Accounts.

Richard Benyon: The Office for National Statistics has the overall lead on the Natural Environmental White Paper commitment on ecosystem accounting but DEFRA is supporting this with its own resources expertise. Specifically:
	There is about 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) of DEFRA staff supporting the Office for National Statistics roadmap.
	There are additional staff working on the production of key environmental statistics that we expect to underpin the accounts.
	There is about 4.5 FTE DEFRA staff providing expert advice and administrative support as the secretariat to the Natural Capital Committee.
	DEFRA and the Natural Capital Committee are expecting to support this work with Research and Development funding.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many full-time equivalent members of staff in his Department have responsibility for assessing the state of natural capital assets for which his Department is responsible.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA has direct responsibility for only a limited amount of land, composed of old bovine tuberculosis burial sites. DEFRA contracts the management of this land out to the Wildlife Trusts.
	Partners in the wider DEFRA network such as the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, the Forestry Commission, the Environment Agency and Natural England are responsible other natural capital assets.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what accounting methodology his Department currently uses to measure the value of the UK's natural capital assets.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not currently have a methodology for asset valuation but we expect this to be developed as part of the ongoing work on ecosystem accounting.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require the Government to integrate natural capital accounting into national accounts.

Richard Benyon: The Department has no plans to integrate natural capital accounting into national accounts via legislation. However DEFRA already has a commitment to work with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to include natural capital in the UK Environmental Accounts. DEFRA is already acting on this commitment by working in close partnership with ONS and is strongly committed to ensuring this happens quickly. ONS intends to publish a roadmap on its plans later this month.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what key performance indicators he has set to ensure that the Government fulfil their commitment to fully include natural capital in the UK Environmental Accounts.

Richard Benyon: The Government will be monitoring progress in developing the accounts against the plans which the independent Office for National Statistics intends to publish in a roadmap later this month.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employees of his Department were paid (a) between £80,000 and £100,000 and (b) in excess of £100,000 per year in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The following table shows the numbers of staff employed within Core DEFRA as at 30 June for each year given.
	
		
			 Number 
			  Paid between £80,000 and £100,000 Paid £100,000 or more 
			 2008 31 18 
			 2009 34 20 
			 2010 38 21 
			 2011 35 15 
			 2012 25 13

School Milk

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to increase consumption rates of school milk since May 2010.

David Heath: The industry is doing its own work on promoting milk consumption across all age groups through campaigns such as "Make Mine Milk".

Water: Regulation

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which water regulations he plans will be modified or abolished following public consultation through the red tape challenge.

Richard Benyon: On 5 December DEFRA published the “Red Tape Challenge—Water and Marine Theme. Water Proposals”. This outlines the current plans for each area of legislation reviewed under the water part of the theme.

TREASURY

A1: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on economic growth in North Yorkshire and the North East of England of his 2010 decision to cut funding for the upgrade of the A1 between Leeming and Barton; for what reasons he took that decision; and for what reasons he has now reinstated that funding.

Danny Alexander: In the 2010 spending review, the Government had to take a number of difficult fiscal decisions in order to reduce the deficit. This involved prioritising projects across government within the resources available. For road proposals, potential future investments were compared against common criteria, including the net present value per pound of propositions in comparison with other proposals, and taking account of the wider fiscal situation.
	At the recent autumn statement, the Government allocated additional capital expenditure for infrastructure meaning that the Government are now able to provide funding to begin work on this scheme within this spending review period. This will ensure its implementation and the delivery of its economic benefits to the surrounding regions.

Banks

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much is currently held in banks and corporate treasuries in Britain; and what the equivalent figure was in each of the previous seven financial years.

Sajid Javid: This information was published by the ONS on the 27 September 2012 in the UK Economic Accounts. This is available at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/naa1-rd/united-kingdom-economic-accounts/q2-2012/index.html
	In 2011-12, Private Non-Financial Corporations balance sheets held currency and deposits worth £723 billion and Monetary Financial Institutions balance sheets held currency and deposits worth £3,171 billion. These figures exclude debt and equity holdings.
	The equivalent figures for the previous seven financial years are included in the following table.
	
		
			 £ billion 
			  Private non-financial corporation's currency and deposits Monetary financial institutions currency and deposits 
			 2004-05 423 1,941 
			 2005-06 502 2,324 
			 2006-07 570 2,695 
			 2007-08 655 2,619 
			 2008-09 655 2,861 
			 2009-10 637 2,890 
			 2010-11 685 2,841 
			 2011-12 723 3,171

Conditions of Employment

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of civil servants in his Department have requested (a) part-time, (b) job-share or (c) other flexible working arrangements in each of the last five years; and how many such requests were granted.

Sajid Javid: All requests for flexible working arrangements at HM Treasury are made direct to managers and agreed locally. The total number of requests for such arrangements are not held centrally and could be retrieved only at disproportionate costs. Similarly all authorised flexible working arrangements for the last five years could be provided only at disproportionate cost but the following table shows the current number of staff with flexible working patterns:
	
		
			 Flexible working arrangement Numbers as at 30 November 2012 
			 Part-time employees 82 
			 Other flexible working arrangement 13

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on the decision to devolve corporation tax power to the Northern Ireland Executive.

David Gauke: The Joint Ministerial Working Group on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy has concluded its discussions on the potential devolution of Corporation Tax. The Group has reported its findings to the Prime Minister.

Credit: Interest Rates

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on vulnerable people of the practice of charging very high interest rates on payday loans;
	(2)  whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to restrict commercial interest rates; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Government are absolutely committed to ensuring that consumers, particularly those that are most vulnerable, are protected against bad practices. The Government have recently tabled an amendment to the Financial Services Bill which gives the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) a specific power to cap the total cost of credit, if it considers that it is consistent with its objectives (including the objective to protect consumers) to do so. This power complements wide-ranging powers in the Bill to impose restrictions on products. These powers will come into effect once the FCA takes over regulation of consumer credit in April 2014.
	However, any such intervention would be warranted only on the basis of evidence. That is why my Department commissioned comprehensive primary research from Bristol University into the potential impacts of a cap on the high cost credit markets. This includes consideration of the impact of the cost of credit in these markets on consumers. This is due to be published in the next few weeks and will inform our thinking on this important policy issue.

Debts: Mortgages

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of household debt in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England is mortgage debt.

Sajid Javid: According to the Bank of England, 86% of household debt in the UK was secured debt at the end of June 2012.
	Estimates are only available for the UK.

Defence: Innovation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the significance of the (a) aerospace, (b) naval and (c) military ground vehicle industry in helping to re-balance the UK economy through innovation in the technology sector; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: The Government are committed to re-balancing the economy towards export- and investment-led growth. The Treasury keeps all sectors of the economy under review as part of the policy development process.
	The Government recognise the significant economic contribution the UK defence industry makes. It is an integral part of our advanced manufacturing base, generating over £35 billion per year to the UK economy. The UK is the world's second largest defence exporter and the UK remains committed to supporting defence exports.
	At the latest autumn statement the Chancellor announced £120 million for the two further rounds of the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative. In November 2012, the Government provided a £120 million boost to the UK Space Agency as part of a plan to increase the UK's contribution to European Space Agency programmes to an average of £240 million a year over the next five years. Budget 2012 announced £60 million of new funding for a Centre for Aerodynamics to support research and innovation in aerospace technology, including a £20 million programme, Building UK Leadership in Aerodynamics, to develop innovative strategic aerodynamic technologies.
	The Government published the “National Security Through Technology” White Paper (CM 8278) in February 2012. Its approach is to provide the right incentives to grow thriving, vibrant companies that can compete globally and supply the UK armed forces with the capabilities they require. The White Paper sets out a range of actions for Government, including sustaining investment in defence science and technology, encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises to fulfil their potential, and increasing support to responsible defence exporters.
	The civil aerospace sector is one of the sectors in the Government's Industrial Strategy, which will be published in early 2013. The strategy is being developed in close collaboration with industry through the Aerospace Growth Partnership, with technology and innovation a key theme. It will set out how Government and industry working together can keep the UK at the top of Europe's aerospace industry; retain our position as the number two aerospace industry in the world and diversify our global customer base. Building on this successful approach, the Government are working with industry to develop a Defence Growth Partnership focused on identifying ways to remove barriers to growth and enhance the competitiveness of the UK defence sector.

Devolution: Wales

Paul Murphy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2012, Official Report, column 386W, on devolution: Wales, what meetings he has had on the report of the Commission on the Devolution of Wales; who attended such meetings; what was discussed; and what steps he took after each such meeting.

Danny Alexander: I regularly meet with the Finance Minister to discuss matters that are relevant to Wales. Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of authorities as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

Infrastructure

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the 10 largest infrastructure projects are that are planned by his Department, that have yet to secure Government funding and a final investment decision and are not included in the UK Guarantees scheme or any other planned Government initiative.

Danny Alexander: HM Treasury does not plan infrastructure projects.

National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for the national insurance holiday scheme had been (a) received and (b) approved in each region by 30 November 2012.

David Gauke: HMRC has so far received around 20,000 applications for the NICs holiday.
	An updated factsheet, including a breakdown by region, will be published after the claims for the 2011-12 tax year have been processed.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions he has met Dieter Helm in his capacity as Chair of the Natural Capital Committee.

Sajid Javid: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has not met the Chair of the Natural Capital Committee (NCC) in that capacity. The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has lead ministerial responsibility for these issues within the Treasury and met the Chair of the NCC on 12 September 2012.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what accounting methodology is used by the Government to assess the value of natural capital assets in the UK.

Sajid Javid: Natural asset valuation is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics in the UK Environmental Accounts. The Natural Capital Committee has also been tasked with advising Government on tools and methodologies to account for the value of natural capital. HM Treasury published new supplementary guidance to the Green Book setting out how to account for the natural environment in policy appraisal. Different methodologies may be appropriate depending upon the evidence available and purpose of the assessment.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of staff in his Department work on assessing the natural capital assets for which his Department is responsible.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury's principal interaction with natural capital assets is through considering and approving departmental policies and projects with an impact on the natural environment. This is intrinsically cross-cutting and involves a wide range of staff.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Minister in his Department is responsible for ensuring that natural capital is fully included in the UK Environmental Accounts.

Sajid Javid: The UK Environmental Accounts are produced by the Office for National Statistics which is independent of Ministers.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the upcoming Autumn Statement to include an assessment of the interaction between the economy and the natural environment; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Autumn Statement has been published and is available at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce a statutory requirement for companies to account for natural capital in their accounts.

Sajid Javid: The Government do not intend to introduce a statutory requirement for companies to account for natural capital in their accounts.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress his Department has made in including natural capital in the UK Environmental Accounts.

Sajid Javid: The UK Environmental Accounts are produced by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for liaison with the ONS on this issue.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of natural capital assets in the UK; and which such assets are most important to the economy.

Sajid Javid: The evidence in the independent National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA) report takes into account the economic, health and social benefits we get from nature. The Government are committed to adding to this knowledge base and are therefore supporting a two-year long follow-on phase of the UK NEA. The follow-on phase will further develop the evidence the UK NEA put forward.
	The Natural Capital Committee's State of Natural Capital report will combine science and economic evidence in a way that will better enable valuation of natural capital stocks and flows.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will establish an inter-departmental ministerial committee on natural capital to consider the state of the UK's natural capital assets and their effect on economic growth.

Sajid Javid: The Natural Capital Committee will provide expert advice to the Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee, via the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Government do not intend to establish further ministerial committees on this issue.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has developed an inventory of natural capital assets for which it is responsible.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury has not developed an inventory of natural capital assets for which it is responsible and currently does not have any plans to do so.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to implement the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting.

Sajid Javid: The Office for National Statistics is taking steps to more fully integrate natural capital into the UK Environmental Accounts. HM Treasury does not plan to implement additional or overlapping environmental accounting.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what resources he has committed to assessing the effect his Department's policies have on the UK's natural capital assets.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury's principal interaction with natural capital assets is through considering and approving departmental policies and projects with an impact on the natural environment. This is intrinsically cross-cutting and involves resource across the Department.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a report using the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Framework alongside the 2013 budget.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury does not comment on the content or format of Budgets in advance.

Natural Capital Accounting

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he made of natural capital assets in the UK when preparing his 2012 budget.

Sajid Javid: The UK National Ecosystem Assessment was published in June 2011 and HM Treasury's guidance on accounting for the natural environment in policy appraisal in February 2012. These and other relevant evidence contribute to informing subsequent policy decisions.

Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

Peter Aldous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on speculative commercial development of extending the Empty Property Rates exemption;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of increasing the exemption from Empty Property Rates on retail, office and industrial property.

David Gauke: The Chancellor announced in the autumn statement of 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-82, that newly built commercial property completed between 1 October 2013 and 30 September 2016 will be exempt from empty property rates for 18 months, up to state aid de minimis limits. There will be a consultation in 2013 on the definition of ‘new build'.
	Reducing the liability for empty property rates will incentivise some commercial property projects to go ahead that would not otherwise, helping to stimulate the construction industry.

Olympic Games 2012

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the anticipated underspend for the London 2012 Olympics will be reallocated.

Danny Alexander: The forecast underspend of £377 million against the Public Sector Funding Package (PSFP) for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is held by HM Treasury as part of the Government's contribution to the PSFP. Any financial benefit from the Olympics coming in under budget will be used to pay off debt or help the economy.
	Any funds remaining in the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund which are not required for the Olympic and Paralympic programme will be returned to National Lottery distributors.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  for the purposes of calculating the Government's commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of GNI on official development assistance (ODA), how many times since May 2010 projected GNI has been changed; and what the estimated cumulative impact is on the ODA budget between May 2010 and 2013;
	(2)  from which Departments' budgets he plans that the forecast decrease in official development assistance (ODA) will come; what the reduction in ODA spending will be (a) by Department and (b) by financial year; and what proportion of ODA reduction which will be absorbed by different Departments.

Danny Alexander: The Government set budgets at the 2010 spending review to meet their commitment to spend 0.56% of gross national income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2011 and 2012 (calendar years) and 0.7% of GNI in 2013 (calendar year) and thereafter.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) publishes independent economic and fiscal forecasts alongside the Budget and autumn statement each year, including forecasts for GNI.
	At autumn statement 2011 and 2012, the Government adjusted the budget allocation for the Department for International Development to reflect the OBR's revised GNI forecast. No changes were made to other Government Departments' budget allocations as a result of the OBR's revised gross national income forecast.
	The adjustments to ODA for each fiscal year from 2011-12 to 2014-15 are presented in the 2011 and 2012 autumn statement documents (Table 2.1 Autumn Statement Policy Decisions: “Official Development Assistance Adjusting to meet GNI Target”).
	The UK remains on track to be the first G8 country to spend 0.7% of gross national income on official development assistance in 2013.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he expects to start imposing penalties on employers failing to meet their obligations under the PAYE Real Time Information scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: For the 2012-13 and 2013-14 tax years, employers who fail to meet their obligations to Real Time Information (RTI) returns on time will only receive a late filing penalty where their final return for the tax year is received after 19 May in the following tax year. This means they will be treated a similar way as under the provisions for traditional PAYE. HMRC expect to implement in-year late filing penalties for RTI returns from April 2014.
	HMRC have recently published guidance about how late filing and other penalties will be applied for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 tax years on their website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/payerti-payments.htm

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which departments within his Department are submitting PAYE data in real time; and when he expects those that are not to begin submitting such data.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs started submitting PAYE real-time information in April 2012. HM Treasury started submitting PAYE real-time information in November 2012.

Personal Income

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the income was at which (a) single people, (b) married couples and (c) couples with two children ceased to be net recipients from the state and became net contributors in each of the last five years; and what each such figure was as a proportion of the mean and median incomes in each such year.

David Gauke: The amount of tax paid by households and the amount of benefits received by households will vary greatly, depending on the individual characteristics and circumstances of the household. There is therefore no single point of income at which households begin to contribute more to the state than they receive from the state, and it would be misleading to present analysis which does this.
	The Office of National Statistics has produced some statistics on this in its publication ‘The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 2010/11’. These show income figures, cash benefit figures and direct tax figures across the income distribution by income quintile and income decile. These figures suggest that, on average, the top 60% of the income distribution pay more in income tax, NICs, council tax and indirect taxes than they receive in benefits. However, some households on lower incomes will still be net contributors to the state, and some households on higher incomes will still be net recipients from the state. These estimates are not split up into specific family types. This publication is based on the Living Costs and Food (LCF) survey and has most recently been published based on the 2010-11 LCF. Figures are not yet available for 2011-12 and 2012-13 but are available as far back as 1977.

Public Expenditure

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that future projections of population and household growth are used in his Department's calculations of future local government, health, education, transport and police grant settlements.

Danny Alexander: When setting departmental budgets, the Treasury will take into account relevant factors that apply to respective Departments. HM Treasury works closely with individual Departments to ensure they have the necessary funds to fulfil their commitments and objectives, within the Government's wider financial constraints.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the value of non-duty paid tobacco smuggled into the UK in each of the last five years.

Sajid Javid: Estimates of revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in Chapter 4 of “Measuring Tax Gaps 2012”.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2012.pdf
	These estimates cannot be disaggregated by the type of illicit activity, e.g. through smuggling, counterfeiting or other fraud.

Staff

Jesse Norman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) mean and (b) median age of staff in his Department was in the last year for which figures are available.

Sajid Javid: The mean age in the Treasury is 36 and median age 33 as at 1 October 2012.

Staff

Jesse Norman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual turnover of staff in his Department has been in each financial year since 2009-10.

Sajid Javid: The annual turnover of staff in HM Treasury since 2009-10 is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2009-10 21.4 
			 2010-11 22.0 
			 2011-12 23.2 
			 2012-13 (Annualised)(1) 22.2 
			 (1) The annualised turnover for 2012-13 is for the period April 2012 to October 2012.

Staff

Jesse Norman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff of his Department are aged (a) between 20 and 29, (b) between 30 and 39, (c) between 40 and 49, (d) between 50 and 59 and (e) over 60 years.

Sajid Javid: The following table gives the breakdown of Treasury staff in the bands requested as at 1 October 2012.
	
		
			 Age Number 
			 20-29 391 
			 30-39 386 
			 40-49 206 
			 50-59 126 
			 60+ 26

Stocks and Shares

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to make initial public offerings more accessible to smaller companies.

Greg Clark: The Government are committed to improving Access to Finance in the current economic climate. For smaller companies making initial public offerings, the UK's Alternative Investment Market is already the largest and most successful junior market in the EU, providing an appropriate regulatory environment for smaller companies. Furthermore, the Government recently announced plans to create a new route to the UK IPO market for smaller high growth companies, featuring reformed rules on “Free Float” requirements. The London Stock Exchange will be developing over coming months the design of this new route to the market.

Tax Allowances: Private Equity

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will end tax relief on private equity loans in order to reduce excessive leverage across the economy.

David Gauke: The UK tax system, like that of most OECD countries and in accordance with international accounting standards, recognises the distinction between debt and equity and gives deductions for interest as a business expense. The choice between debt and equity is a commercial decision for the business concerned.
	Loans from private equity investors are subject to the same UK tax rules as loans from any other source.

Tax Allowances: Shares

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will take steps to expand the Enterprise Investment scheme to allow tax relief on share purchases;
	(2)  what his policy is on allowing tax relief on share purchases under the Enterprise Investment Scheme.

David Gauke: This Government has recently introduced significant reforms to the Enterprise Investment Scheme including an increase in the rate of income tax relief available to investors and an increase in the size of company that can receive investment through the scheme. These changes are designed to encourage increased levels of equity investment in companies that are in need of external sources of finance to enable them to grow and prosper.

Tax Avoidance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the London Borough of Havering have been investigated for tax avoidance in the last 12 months.

David Gauke: HMRC does not hold the information requested in the format requested and would only be available at disproportionate cost.

Tax Avoidance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the (a) funding and (b) personnel specifically focused on tackling tax avoidance in each year of the last 20 years; and what was estimated to be the additional yield in each such year as a result.

David Gauke: HMRC does not hold the information requested.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many (a) individuals, (b) small businesses, (c) medium sized businesses, (d) large sized businesses and (e) multinational corporations have been investigated for tax avoidance in each year since April 2008;
	(2)  how many tax avoidance schemes relating to corporation tax have been subject to legal challenge by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many tax tribunal judgements have been made on tax avoidance schemes against (a) small, (b) medium and (c) large companies following HM Revenue and Customs litigation in each of the last five years;
	(4)  with how many (a) small and medium-sized businesses and (b) other businesses HM Revenue and Customs has settled with out of court following a legal challenge on tax avoidance schemes.

David Gauke: HMRC does hold the information requested in the question but not in the format requested and as the information is not readily available it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	HMRC wants its customers to pay the right amount of tax and challenges non-compliance in its various forms including genuine misunderstandings of the law, avoidance and evasion.
	Classifying a tax risk often requires a judgment and in some cases arrangements are only shown to constitute avoidance at a late stage of an inquiry as the facts emerge.
	Avoidance does not as such constitute a distinct workstream in HMRC and avoidance work is not generally measured separately from HMRC's other compliance activities.
	We do hold some information on avoidance litigation cases but these are not analysed by customer group. HMRC was successful in 51 out of 60 judgments in avoidance cases from April 2010 to October 2012.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many investigations of tax avoidance have resulted in the matter being handed over by HM Revenue and Customs to the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecution as potential tax evasion by (a) individuals, (b) small businesses, (c) medium sized businesses, (d) large sized businesses and (e) multinational corporations in each year since April 2008;
	(2)  how many investigations of tax avoidance have resulted in the matter being handed over by HM Revenue and Customs to the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecutions for tax evasion relating to corporation tax in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold the information requested in the format of the question. Tax avoidance does not form a discrete compliance activity workstream and anti-avoidance compliance interventions are not measured separately. Furthermore, HMRC does not routinely record the number of tax avoidance cases that are later re-classified as tax evasion. Accordingly, the figures requested would be obtainable only at disproportionate cost.

Tax Evasion

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the tax revenue secured per £1,000 of staff costs in those areas of HM Revenue and Customs dedicated to tax evasion was in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available in this format and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	HM Revenue and Customs compliance activity—from policy making, through support and education, to audits and investigations—covers all aspects of compliance behaviour from evasion and error through to organised criminal attack. HMRC targets its compliance activity based on risk rather than by direct reference to behaviour.

Tax Evasion

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) criminal prosecutions were brought and (b) criminal convictions were secured for tax evasion in each of the last 10 years.

David Gauke: The information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Prosecutions for tax evasion in relation to direct tax, VAT and VAT MTIC 
			  Numbers of defendants 
			 2006-07 181 
			 2007-08 261 
			 2008-09 178 
			 2009-10 126 
			 2010-11 157 
			 2011-12 240 
		
	
	
		
			 Convictions for tax evasion in relation to direct tax, VAT and VAT MTIC 
			  Number of defendants 
			 2006-07 141 
			 2007-08 220 
			 2008-09 150 
			 2009-10 107 
			 2010-11 148 
			 2011-12 154 
		
	
	Please note that figures are not held for the years prior to 2006. Some of the underlying prosecution and conviction information up to and including 2009-10 originates from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), formerly the Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office (RCPO), and may have been collated on a slightly different basis.
	Arrest, prosecution and conviction figures in any given period would not necessarily relate to the same individuals due to a variety of factors including, for example, timing and length of case, individuals arrested but not prosecuted (e.g. settled as a civil matter), individuals prosecuted but not arrested (e.g. interviewed under caution, summoned to court).

Tax Evasion

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on rewarding whistleblowers in respect of information received in respect of tax evasion on offshore accounts.

David Gauke: HM Revenue & Customs is empowered to pay rewards by virtue of Section 26 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005. These payments are discretionary and are not guaranteed.
	The Act states:
	“The commissioners may pay a reward to a person in return for a service which relates to a function of
	(a) The Commissioners, or
	(b) An officer of Revenue and Customs”

Tax Evasion

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider a tax amnesty for income tax evaders prepared to pay past due tax; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: It is open at any time for individuals who have not declared and paid the correct tax to come forward and put their affairs in order. HMRC has launched an advertising campaign encouraging people to do so with a supporting website
	www.gov.uk/sortmytax
	to help them.
	Usually if an individual makes a full, complete and accurate disclosure of their tax irregularities HMRC will not pursue the matter criminally. As well as tax and interest due HMRC can charge penalties for inaccuracy, failure to notify, or wrongdoing. These penalties may be reduced to nil or suspended in certain circumstances. More information can be found here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/new-penalties/
	These arrangements strike the right balance between encouraging those who have cheated to come forward while being fair to the majority who have paid the right amount of tax at the right time.

Taxation: Bingo

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent consideration he has given to reducing the rate of bingo duty to 15 per cent.

Sajid Javid: The Government keep all taxes, including bingo duty, under review.

Taxation: Football

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much football clubs in the Premier League owe HM Revenue and Customs.

David Gauke: HMRC is under a strict, statutory, duty of confidentiality and cannot comment on the tax affairs of individual businesses.

Valuation Office Agency

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times officials from his Department have met the Valuation Office Agency in the last six months; who attended those meetings; and if he will publish the agenda, minutes and outcomes of those meetings.

David Gauke: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of authorities as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

VAT

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of businesses participating in the VAT Flat Rate scheme.

David Gauke: The latest estimate of the number of businesses participating in the VAT Flat Rate scheme is about 240,000 members.

Welfare Tax Credits

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claimants of tax credits in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 were paid at a level higher than that to which they were entitled owing to a determination by HM Revenue and Customs that a reduction in payments might result in financial hardship to the claimant.

Sajid Javid: To provide this information would result in a disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what reports he has received of problems with the designated telephone lines that tax credit claimants are obliged to use to contact HM Revenue and Customs compliance officers working on the undisclosed partner project;
	(2)  how many claimants have had their tax credit entitlement incorrectly stopped or adjusted following an undisclosed partner intervention from HM Revenue and Customs in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what proportion of claimants have successfully appealed against a decision to stop or adjust their tax credit entitlement following an undisclosed partner intervention from HM Revenue and Customs in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs is aware that some customers have recently reported difficulty in calling some HM Revenue and Customs direct dial telephone numbers. HM Revenue and Customs are investigating these reports to better understand the cause and scale of any continuing issues so that they can be fixed.
	Information on the number of claimants who have had their tax credits entitlement incorrectly stopped or adjusted following an undisclosed partner intervention is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	During the period December 2011 and October 2012, HMRC changed its decision to stop or adjust a tax credit entitlement following an undisclosed partner intervention in 581 cases—around 2%—as a result of a customer's request for reconsideration or formal appeal. In these cases, the decision was usually changed when further evidence was provided by the customer at the appeal stage that was not provided in response to HMRC's initial inquiries.